LoZ SS Skyloft tales Prologue
by singingstranger
Summary: LoZ SS: Link's whole Skyward Sword adventure-Out of the view of an OC-sister of Groose, Medowlaria, who seeks adventures such as Link's, and watches everything from Skyloft. And she also has a special, unique gift no one else in Skyloft has. Rated T for violence, blood, and, in later chapters, sexual themes (but no lemons or yaoi /yuri/ whatever)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I was twelve, when I met my destined guardian bird.

My older brother, Groose, was just outside Skyloft, training his flying skills with Strich and Cawlin. Mom was busy working of course, and dad, a special unit Rescue Knight, was taking a nap. In those days I was alone most of the time. I didn't even own a loftwing. And that made we an outcast. No one laughed at me, but I could feel the glances of pity and wonder. Most of them had met their loftwings around an age of five or six. But I was nearing twelve and a half now and was still bird-less.

Often I wondered if maybe something had happened to the bird I was supposed to receive. Perhaps it was sick and couldn't fly. Or what if it had died and I wasn't going to be reassigned a new one? There was no one who could answer my questions. Groose was totally clueless and just kept emphasizing, that I'd get one next year. And the grown ups weren't better.

Every day, I spent many hours just sitting in front of the sacred statue of the goddess, dreaming. Lots of birds came to visit me there. They chirped at me, as if they where wishing to give me comfort. But I had already accepted the fact, that I just wasn't getting a loftwing. However, both my parents and Groose said that this was nonsense. Dad had already repeatedly asked Director Gaepora if he had any idea what had gone wrong, but of course he was just as clueless as we all where. It was a mystery. One, which, till today I haven't understood.

A loud cawing made me glance up. There was a certain crimson loftwing circling above me. When he saw, that I had noticed him, he dove down, stopping right in front of my feet. Links majestic, strong bird towered over the kneeling me by quite a bit, fluttering his wings in an almost playful way. I had to grin.

"You two are so similar, aren't you, handsome one!" I whispered into his ear, patting his beak gingerly. In response, he snuggled against me, as if trying to say: _It'll be okay! _

I laughed and stoked his neck feathers: "Thank you, handsome…"

"Hey, what are you doing with Links loftwing?" a sharp voice shouted, making both of us jump.

"Pipit! You scared me!" I exclaimed, rubbing my chest that had jolted rather painfully.

My older male Hylian neighbor didn't look all too apologetic, more disapproving: "Really, what are you always doing up here, Medowlaria?"

I scowled, continuing to pet the crimson bird: "It's not forbidden to spend time here, with or without the luxury of already having a loftwing. And anyway, I'm not my brother, Pipit! Don't assume that I intend to harm Link's bird, just because Groose is jealous of his owner's girlfriend-to-be. Just like everybody else is too, by the way." I added, giving Pipit a knowing look.

Actually, I knew, that he had more of a thing for Karane and wasn't really into Zelda. I mean, even Fledge, who really looked up to Zelda and admired her as if she where the goddess herself, had a very innocent, cute crush on her.

Seeing Pipit's flush totally gave him away, no matter how strongly he disagreed with me. I sighed. It's just a shame. He is such a handsome, strong willed young man, I could very well imagine dating him. But he is _such_ an idiot sometimes. He couldn't stand my brother and just because I, his sister, tried to stand in for Groose, I had swiftly gotten Pipit to not like me either. _Oh well, his loss, I guess._

"Ahem, anyway. I was actually looking for Groose, but he doesn't seem to be here." Pipit started to explain himself.

_How made him the watchdog now?_

"So, no sign of your bird, I presume?" he asked, looking around with very mild interest. I frowned.

"Oh no, Pipit! He's magically appeared in the last two minutes; it's just that you can't see him! I'm actually really flying around on his back this very moment and you're only talking to a Chuchu in disguise!" I mocked, highly annoyed and staring to become rather upset.

Sometimes, I really couldn't help hating him. But mostly, I just felt sorry for him. I knew of his messed up family and how he had taken up a job as a night-guard around the school, so he could pay for food. Even if he didn't know, that I did, I still sometimes could subconsciously mock him over that, but I didn't like that. It was mean and really painful for other people when I did. It was just that I knew so much. Except, what to do with my knowledge.

Suddenly another loftwing calls out to Link's crimson one. We both look up, the bird and I, and see, who it is. It was Karane's Indigo colored one. The red bird started chirping in response, eagerly. I was caught, simply listening to the melodic dialog, forgetting all about Pipit for a moment.

_Huh. That sounds interesting,_ I thought.

"Hey, Pipit! Karane is looking for you in the academy." I said, turning back to face the boy in the yellow uniform, "Something about some homework you promised to help her with."

"What… the hell are you talking about?"

I smiled gingerly: "Oh, nothing… Anyway, she is downstairs, in front of the training hall. Fledge is there with her and she seems to be giving him a hard time over something klutzy he did during practice. You might want to go save the poor bloke!"

He looked at me with a facial expression I've learned to hate: _How can you possibly know that?_

But by then, they all knew, that I had a highly reliable, always accessible source of information. So Pipit didn't waste his time staring on my like a cod fish for long and walked off, seeing if he could really find Karane and if she really still wanted that homework help he (obviously) had tried to forget about. It was another one of these Skyloft-mysteries. To bad that this wasn't one I could investigate: I already knew the answer.

Once Pipit was gone from my sight, I turned to face the crimson bird again: "Hey handsome, sorry about that… Say, do you know where my bird is? Will I ever, ever have one?"

All he did was to give me a chirp, more or less stating, that he didn't know what the hell I just asked him.

In that very moment, I felt something. It was a call, that reached into my heart, echoing its joyous message. I jumped up, startling the crimson bird, swirling around and looking up. A young, grey-feathered loftwing, maybe a young teenager of his kind, sat there before me, calling my name.

And I knew, just knew, that this was the bird I belonged to.

Prologue of a fanfiction series on LoZ SS.

The whole Skyward Sword adventure will start in two days. Those of you who played the game know, what will happen. But what happened from the view of those, who stayed in Skyloft throughout the whole adventure?

Medowlaria is an OC and does not appear in the game! It isn't said, if Groose has family or not, but I decided for him, that he does in this fanfic.

Hope you guys like it :D

LoZ SS © Nintendo


	2. 1 Crash

**Chapter 1**

Two years passed till the day came, where Groose told me not to fly with him all the time. Apparently he thought it was not cool to hang around with his little sister during his private little training sessions. It was two days before the yearly wing ceremony. All of the students of the Knight Academy where looking forward to it so much. It was rather entertaining to watch them all go crazy and practice flying every spare minute they had. Groose was being an idiot those days, all full of himself, pumped up with self-confidence and pride to the hilt. It was driving us all mad.

I couldn't stop thinking about how obsessed he was with Zelda, while I sat there in front of the Goddesses statue, sewing. Yes, I was sewing. Actually, it was for the woman in question. Zelda hadn't been able to give the sailcloth the necessary, finishing touches. And since it needed to be done in two days, and she was drowning in work, I had agreed to help her out. _Oh, how disappointed Groose would be, if he knew it was me who finished the sailcloth, not Zelda._ I thought with a chuckle. Brother was so overly confident, that he'd win. He said it again and again, all the time. Apparently, he was looking forward to having some "private time" with Zelda on the top of the statue during the final part of the ceremony. I couldn't help rolling my eyes every time he mentioned that. Which was an awful lot!

My grey loftwing looked over my shoulder with a mildly interested expression. He almost seemed to be thinking: _Why the hell are you poking that poor cloth with a needle all the time? Hurry up! _

"Patience, friend, patience!" I replied, ruffling his feathers with a small laugh, then returning to my task. It was surely looking good. Only a little more and I would be done. Good thing, seen that my fingers had long become stiff from the breeze and the monotone motion. I really enjoyed sewing, and was glad that I could help Zelda, but this was a big project!

_What are you thinking about?_ my loftwing suddenly chirped at me. I was a bit surprised, seeing, that he usually fell asleep out of boredom and never had any interest in what I was thinking.

"I dunno…" I made a little knot, "Maybe about how awfully long it took, to sew this stupid thing!"

Just as I had tightened the knot and carefully ripped the string, my bird suddenly shrieked out, panicked. I looked up, startled, to see what was going on. And I almost screamed.

Beedle's flying house was falling right towards us. It looked like the engine had died or something and he was trying to make an emergency landing on the plaza in front of the statue. Problem was, he hadn't seen me! I was shocked and couldn't move for a moment. The wind that pushed against me, from the falling house was urging me to move, but I couldn't.

It was not until my bird screeched, that I woke form my state of shock: _Run, little girl, quickly!_

Finally snapped back into reality, I stuffed the sewing into my pocket and jumped on my loftwings back. He immediately spread his majestic wings and took off from the ground, soaring into the sky. Not one second to early, cause just there, where I had sat moments ago, was exactly where the house crashed onto the ground.

My grey loftwing lowered back to the ground, forcing himself to stay calm. I stroked his feathers with shaking hands: "It's ok, handsome one. It's alright, don't worry!"

Once we had landed, I quickly jumped off, before he let himself crash on the ground totally. We where both panting in sync. That kind of take off was dangerously straining and really hard on loftwings. But he would be fine, he was just being a little prince now, hoping I would snuggle with him and feed him extra as a reward.

_You think, you little lazy thug! We both have more of an attitude than is good for us!_ I thought, then ignoring my bird and running over to the crashed shop: "Beedle! Beedle, are you alright?"

I was about to try to climb into the tipped entrance, when the tanned Hylian came crawling out, coughing up some dust.

"For the love of Hylia! Are you hurt?" I asked, helping him climb over a broken wooden stake.

He gave me a kind smile: "Oh no, don't worry, I'm fine. Are you two okay? I didn't see you until you suddenly flew up. I'm terribly sorry!"

"Don't worry, but what the hell happened to you're shop?" I backed away a bit, just in case that crazy thing blew up in our face.

"I don't know exactly. The engine just died and a strong gust of wind delivered me here. I could somehow maneuver it, so that I don't fall through the clouds, but instead, it almost squished you two…" he said looking rather upset. He was very considerate and gentle, two things that made me adore him a lot. Around me, he didn't bother using this strange business attitude of his and spoke in his natural voice.

"Don't worry, we're okay, my loftwing's just being a little extra tired. He hopes, that'll earn him some treats." I explained, giving my bird a little stern glance, "And I wasn't hurt either."

"That's good! You see, actually, I had wanted to go see Gondo today, to see if he can fix the engine. But now he'll have to come anyway, won't he…"

"Seems so." I mumbled, scanning the damage. It wasn't that terrible. A few boards had shaken loose, and the entrance-string thing had ripped, but it wasn't like you couldn't fix that. Gondo really loved to fix and repair machines, and probably Jakamar could take care of the damage on the facade.

"Say, Medowlaria, what are you doing here anyway? The other children are all out flying, aren't they? It's beautiful weather too!" Beedle suddenly asked me.

"I know, but I… we don't like to fly that much when the weather is this nice. We prefer storms." as if he wanted to agree, my loftwing gave an enthusiastic caw, "Also, Zelda asked me to help her out a bit on her sewing. But that should stay between us!" I quickly added. He nodded with a wink. Slowly the color was returning to his face. Good thing, I'd already been worried, that he was under some serious shock!

But I decided that, since my needle probably lay crushed under the house anyway, I should probably go to Zelda and give her the finished sailcloth, so I said: "Well, since it doesn't look like I can be any help here, I think I'll take my leave now, okay?"

"Sure! Come and visit me sometime!" he grinned. I nodded, smiling and started off towards the Knight Academy.

After I had descended the stairs, I, to my surprise, ran into Link. Right away I had the uncomfortable feeling, that my heart was taking off the ground like my loftwing had before.

"Oh! Hey, Medowlaria! Is Beedle okay? I saw him do that neck breaking landing." he said to me, obviously not noticing, that my face felt hot enough to fry a Cucco on it.

"Um, hi. Yeah, he's… he's alright. Just got a nasty shock." I replied with a little giggle. Oh. My. Gosh! How embarrassing could I become?

Link looked relieved as he responded: "Really? Well, that's good! I'll go up in a second and see, if he needs help. Hey, where are you going anyway?"

Great. The one time he showed any interest in me at all, I was busy. Thank the Goddess!

"Um, well, I have to find Zelda." I stuttered, trying to not yearn for the sweet sound of his lovely voice.

"Oh, she's in her room in the Academy, taking a little break. She seemed to be very tired when I saw her before and…" there he went on, speaking of his beloved Zelda. I found myself getting lost in the almost dreamy, seamless trail of syllables, just listening to his voice, for a moment forgetting to pay attention to the actual words he was saying.

_Why must I only be allowed to hear him in this dreamy voice, when he is talking about Zelda? _I thought, blinking, _He sees nothing else. No one can enter that little world of attention. Only she is there. Only she… _

"… so anyway. I'll go see if I can be of assistance, you go see Zelda, okay?" he finished, snapping me back into reality.

"Um, yes. Sure. See you!" was my awkward response. His words of goodbye didn't even reach me totally. I had to focus on consciously walking away from him, without saying or doing anything stupid.

_He loves Zelda._ I kept repeating in my mind, _He loves only Zelda!_

I think till today, that he didn't ever really notice me before. He had never seen me as a woman. The only thing he could ever see in me was the little girl with, for someone who didn't ever care for lessons, fantastic flying skills and the seldom case of having a bird with the opposite gender. No more, no less.

My loftwing, who was still waddling behind me, gave me a gentle peck at the shoulder with his grand beak, giving me a half questioning, half stern look. I turned a little to face him, leaning against the statue of the goddess for support: "What?"

His soft chirp said: _You love him. _

I blinked a few time, looking away. Then I glanced back up, meeting his knowing gaze with a sigh: "I know."

Chapter one is finally up :D Sorry it took so long to publish, my girlfriend was there overnight, so I couldn't exactly publish in that time ^^'

Yeah, Medowlaria is not having what I'd call a good start into a day. But don't worry, it'll get worse ^^


	3. 2 Dreams

**Chapter 2 **

Just as Link had told me, I found Zelda in her room on the top floor of the Academy. After having knocked and entered, I saw her sitting at her desk, brushing her beautiful long hair. The moment she saw that it was me, she lay down the brush and walked towards me, smiling: "Medowlaria! Did you get to finish the sailcloth already?"

"Yes." I replied awkwardly. My thoughts where a bit to caught up with Link to be able to really register what was going on. But at least I remembered to hastily hand the cape over.

Zelda hugged me gratefully, taking me by surprise. Since when where we on best-friends level?

She did let go of me quickly, throwing random reasons at me why she was so thankful, that I had helped her out. Wow, how could anyone look good while looking so strained and exhausted as she was obviously. It made her add an aura of fragility and vulnerability. No wonder Groose couldn't stop talking about her. And Link…

_You're the only person who is actually good enough to not make me regret, losing Link over you. _I thought, shaking my head slightly. Why couldn't I be as beautiful as she was? She had this magnificent golden hair, these sparkling eyes and a very fragile, slim figure. I was red haired and just as yellow eyed as a Remlit at night. If I had been as beautiful as Zelda, had Link maybe noticed me?

"Med?" I snapped out of my daydreams of me and Link together and looked up, blushing: "Um, yeah? Sorry, I was just thinking!"

"I asked, if you've seen my loftwing today!" she repeated, smiling and starting to fold the sailcloth.

I watched her do so as I answered: "Yes, I did briefly. She seemed a bit tired, you should not overwork her in the next few days."

Zelda stopped folding suddenly, and I slowly trailed my glance upwards again to meet her eyes. She was giving me a strangely disapproving look I couldn't exactly explain.

"What?"

"You know so much about loftwings!" she blurted out, forcefully placing the folded fabric onto her desk, crossing her arms.

I was dumbfounded for a few seconds, till I noticed she was not planning on elaborating this random sentence: "Um… okay? …so?"

"So why aren't you doing anything with your knowledge?"

It took me a moment to understand what kind of knowledge she meant: "I… I don't really get it. What do you mean by that?"

She sighed, pointing at her bed, bidding me to take a seat before she continued: "Why don't you finally join the Knight Academy? Yes, I know you don't want to become a Rescue Knight. Everyone knows that, you made that rather clear when Groose invited you openly after last year's Wing Ceremony, where you admired Cuco's flying skills so much." Oh yeah, the time where I embarrassed myself in front of the whole Skyloft population. Thank you for the reminder! "But anyway, you still have undoubtedly talent for flying and no one can discuss over your knowledge on animals. Not even Horwell knows as much about loftwings as you do! It's like they can tell you exactly what's wrong and you know how to fix it. You should really do something with this talent of yours! You could become a very renown Rescue Knight. Why don't you want to join the Academy? You don't even have to go all the way and graduate, just learn long enough to get some real flying lessons and diplomas."

"I don't care for learning from an instructor. I can manage by copying Groose." I tried to explain, but she cut me short, looking a bit cross.

"You know perfectly well, that most of the moves require being tested before you're allowed to use them at all!" she stated.

I just shrugged: "Not that I care that much. Dad has long given up trying to force me, not to do forbidden things."

She gave me another look I know and hate: _You're so much like your brother!_

Well, I guess she was right. But other than me, Groose wasn't lazy and had a huge problem with his self confidence. Something he tried to cover by surrounding himself with minions and pretending to be badass. But when it came to rules, we both bent them out of different reasons. He did it, cause he was trying to be cool for Zelda. I did it, cause I was tired of being bound to the ground. I had waited twelve long, long years till I had received a companion. My loftwing and me had had a great deal of trouble, getting used to each other and learning to accept commands. But once we finally had started getting along after more than a year, we had improved rapidly, growing more and more confident and skilled in very little time.

Problem was just, that we where not allowed to do just as we pleased. And that sucked. We needed freedom. And since no one was giving it to us, we where just taking it.

Nobody would understand that though.

"Look, Zelda…" I suddenly begin, "I am an apprentice of Gondo's starting this summer. My dad set that up last year after I started fooling around. So I couldn't even take part in classes if I wanted to."

"You know your dad was pressured into doing that. The other grown-up's wouldn't tolerate your behavior."

"I know that!" I snapped, regretting it the same moment and looking at my hands, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you…"

She looked hurt, but she somehow managed to smile over it: "It's okay. I'm sorry too. But the point is, Medowlaria, that no one asked you, if you want to do that. You'd be a fine craftsman and would undoubtedly earn well, but is that your dream?"

I looked up from my hands and frowned. I hated that question. Who cared, if I wanted to do that or not? I decided, that now was not the time to wallop in self pity and shrugged: "What is your dream, Zelda?"

To my surprise, her eyes gleamed at me with an unfamiliar power: "Can you keep a secret?"

I nodded slowly. She seemed to feel awkward and I was rather certain, that now was not the right moment to do anything stupid, like being jealous of her boyfriend.

"Well, to be honest, I want to know what lies beneath the clouds." she whispered in a dreamy tone of voice.

"Be… beneath the clouds?" I repeated. This was the last thing I could have imagined. I had never heard of that before, and that was about as seldom as a Starry Firefly.

She nodded, gleaming: "Yes."

"But…" I struggled for words, "How? Birds won't fly beneath the cloud surface, and you'll fall to your death into the endless depths! There's nothing down there anyway."

"I can't believe that. Also, I read something in fathers library, that told me otherwise!" she exclaimed, waving her hand, dismissing my comment.

I could only look at her, puzzled. What did she mean? "Well, what is beneath the clouds then?"

She leaned in even closer, speaking so quietly now, that I could barely understand her: "I read, that there's a whole land down there! It's just like Skyloft, just so much bigger. You don't need to fly to get around and there are trees, as big as the goddess's statue down there, rivers of fire and endless seeming water surfaces, deeper than you can dive! It all sounds so magical and incredible, doesn't it?"

"Yes. It does." was my astonished answer. I couldn't even imagine all of that. But I was also having a hard time believing it. But still, it tweaked my interest in the most peculiar way.

Leaving the limited ranges of Skyloft… it sounded like paradise! I just hated this place. I couldn't go anywhere at all, not even to the farther away islands, just because I didn't take the exams. And every time they caught me streaching the borders I'd get into big trouble for wanting more freedom. This was not the life I wanted to lead.

But if I could leave this place, find that magical country beneath the clouds…!

Totally sunk in my daydreams, I didn't notice that Zelda had been studying my expression very closely, until she raised her voice: "I'm sorry, you must think I'm crazy now…"

"No! No, I don't, really!" I quickly responded, shaking my head, "We all have strange dreams, that's what keeps us going, isn't it? And… well, even I have one."

"You do? Oh please, please tell me! I swear by the goddess Hylia, that I won't tell anyone!" she pleaded, giving me big eyes. I laughed a bit. This was a bit uncomfortable for me. I hated talking about myself and my dreams. If it was about someone else, I could talk for ages, but personal things made me uneasy.

I took a deep breath: "I really, really want to travel around the sky as a freelance vet. I want to tend Skyloft's in their very nests, follow them around the skies and never leave them unless I want to. I could persuade the others that they should leave bird injuries to a doctor and not try to tend them themselves with a bit of assistance from Horwell. That'd be my dream."

She looked at me with wide eyes for a few moments, not saying a word. I frowned. Wasn't she being a bit extreme? It wasn't that crazy. It was just quite simply impossible, and I knew that. First problem was, that everyone kinda stuck close to their birds and didn't let anyone near them. And the second one was, that the skylofts didn't like people around their nests. Not even me.

Suddenly she gripped me hands, grinning broadly: "That's an awesome dream! I'm so glad, you can't imagine! I always thought I was the only one with that kind of dream. I've never even told…"

She cut herself short, blushing a bit.

Link. She meant Link.

I sighed inwardly. Actually, I had two impossible dreams. Just one of them, I wasn't going to tell her. No one was ever allowed to know!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

There are a few things I really hate. And one of them is getting up in the morning.

When the evilly bright sun slipped through my window and crept into my room, stinging in my eyes the next morning, I was pretty sure I was going to die if I got up yet. Slowly I rolled out of my bed, dragging my blanket with me, so that we both toppled onto the floor. I decided quickly, that this was a rather comfortable position and curled together on the cool floor, out of the suns reach and started to drift off, back into sleepy-land.

"Medowlaria, if you don't get up NOW you'll get into BIG trouble, young lady!" my mom's voice hollered through the house.

_Great. There goes my morning. _I thought, stretching and yawning like a Remlit. I hated being in a family full of morning people.

Why couldn't everyone be like me and Link and always sleep late? I knew for a fact, that both of us had our own kind of waking. With me, it was my mom's sweet voice at the crack of dawn. For him it was often a rather hysterical young lady who had the privelege of being this years representative of the goddess. Gawd, how I hated my life in the morning!

Tumbling across the hallway towards the bathroom, I swiftly ran into my father, who was apparently just coming home from his early shift for the Rescue Knight night watch. He looked very tired but very happy, as he greeted me: "Oh, what a pleasant surprise, seeing you awake before midday."

"Blame your wife, she cut my sleep short!" I yawned, "Morning…"

He gave me a curious smile: "Why are you so tired again?"

"Flying late." I replied, without really thinking. Even if my brain had been functioning, which was highly unlikely, especially at this hour, it was the simple truth.

Dad's smile faded and was replaced momentarily by a tired, annoyed and a bit stern look: "You flew after curfew again, didn't you!"

I just shrugged.

"Medowlaria, for the love of Hylia! How often have we gone through this! It is strictly forbidden to fly in the night and you know that, young lady!" he boomed, jabbing his finger at my breastbone.

"Well, yeah, I know." I replied, annoyed.

He started getting loud: "Then why do you do it! You will get both you and your bird killed out there one day, and no one will know! Why can't you finally learn to take some responsibility!"

"I think I'm taking a heck of a lot more responsibility if I'm at least honest about it!"

"Don't you get fresh, young lady, not with me!" he warned, looking rather furious.

But by now my own nerves where reaching their limits: "Damn it, father, I'm not Groose! And I'm not you either! I'm not the little, perfect girl who always studies, like Groose or the ambitious kid who trains every bloody day, praying that some day I might become a Knight like my father! That's just not me, dad! Face it, damn it! Face _me_!"

Before he could respond, I turned around and stormed into the bathroom, fuming.

Later, when I came back out, now a bit more awake, I ran straight into Groose.

"Oh, morning, sis!" he exclaimed, looking happy. My eyebrow rose as I gave him a hug: "Groose? What are you doing at home?"

"Oh nothing, just need mom for a moment!" he said a bit too hastily to convince me.

"Okay, what did you rip?" I asked, giving him a knowing glance.

He handed over his red cape with an equally red face: "I don't even know what I did this time. And mom'll have my skin if she sees that I ripped it again!"

"Nah, don't worry!" I said in a rather matter of fact tone, checking the seams, "Just the seam. Guess what, if I sew this for you, you sneak me into the Academy during preparation time. Got it?"

He looked confuse, one of his more common expressions: "Okay, but why?"

"Oh, just to see Zelda and ask her, if I can help her a bit more." I winked. I wasn't going to tell him, that I actually only wanted to see Link, if also only for a brief moment.

Yes, a brief moment. In that time, just being allowed to lay my eyes on him for even only a little glance was more than enough for me. If he spoke to me, I was already feeling overly blessed. And the few times that he really paid attention to me, asked me a favor or something, my heart always so totally flipped. Usually I ran for it in those moments. A bad habit, if you ask me.

But thankfully, Groose didn't try to think farther into my weird request, seeing he had the prospect of seeing Zelda with a believable excuse. He toppled over to mom, greeting her, as I slipped straight back into my room. I shot my bed an angry look: "Quit looking so damn comfy!"

With a feign sigh, I sat down, taking out my sewing equipment. Within moments I had fixed the seam and came back out of my room, checking to see, where Groose was. My brother was actually sitting at the dining room table with a large heap of oatmeal in front of his nose and mom standing behind him, looking eager. She was obviously giving him a lecture on how he had to eat enough if he wanted to win the tournament (was that really tomorrow already?) and so on. I took my seat across from Groose's place, smirking.

Beneath the table, so mom didn't notice, I sneaked him the fixed cape. He gave me a look of upmost gratitude, which I swallowed in whole. Groose and I, we weren't that close. Yes, we got along, but there was an air of distance between us. I couldn't blame us though. I think our parents where to blame over that. They had always favored Groose. He was ambitious and tried really hard to do the same thing as father. Also, he was creative and strong. But for that he lacked the intellect I had. I don't want to say he was stupid or something, but he just was a tiny bit dim. I was really gifted, but I was also everything but ambitious. Laziness and daydreams ruled my world, as well as the only thing I really liked to do: flying to the point of breaking rules. But of course, with mom and father wanting both of us to be successful and all, I was left behind in some ways. They just had stopped caring that much about what I'm up to, cause usually it seemed, at least in their eyes, to ought to be no good anyway.

And seriously, it really was hard on me and Groose in very many ways.

A bit later, when we had both eaten our share, we got up from the table, saying that we would go visit the Academy. Mom gave me a stern look: "What are you doing there? They're very busy, even without you toddling along your brother. He should be allowed to relax, not have to take you along with him."

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on breaking anything or embarrassing Groose in front of his friends or something" _He can take care of that himself! _"I want to see, if I can perhaps help. You see, Zelda is totally overworked and I was able to take something off her hands yesterday before. So I wanted to see, if maybe she might need help again today."

"Oh." I hated that look, "Oh, okay, if that's all… That sounds lovely, dears…"

_Whatever_ I thought, nodding away and pulling Groose after me. Once we where out, I turned to face him: "What the hell is wrong with mom and father!"

"Calm down, sis." he implied, but I cut him short: "I'm not dreaming of calming down! First father throws a fully fledged _fit_ at me- no, not you Fledge…" I quickly said, seeing that the boy was giving me a dumbfounded look, "… and then mom acts like I'm planning to assassin the wing ceremony tomorrow! What is this?"

To my surprise, Groose looked slightly guilty: "Shoot… Groose, what the heck do you know?"

"Well, um…" he cleared his throat looking uncomfortable, "The problem is, sis, that someone had an accident yesterday, while flying in the night."

I froze: "What?"

He shrugged: "Yeah. It was this Keet guy. He and his bird are okay, but they got a nasty shock. he's not allowed to fly his bird for three days!"

"Yeah, well, naturally. Who's silly enough to get caught?"

"Med!" he exclaimed, looking upset. He only called me by my nickname if he was serious, "Keet's bird was knocked out of the sky by something unknown. He said it was a bolt of darkness, but I dunno. Whatever it was though, it's dangerous, Med! What if it hits you next and your bird faints? What then? You could die!"

I didn't reply to that.

But I really had to admit, the aspect of something completely unknown in the sky… it really excited me a lot.

But then I had to quickly run after Groose, 'cause he had stomped on without waiting, now flirting with some chic for practice.

When we entered the Academy, Strich cam right at us, looking desperate. Of course, I was ignored: "Groose! Thank the Goddess you're back! I have a big problem!"

I snorted, offended, that I was being completely ignored: "What? Did one of your starry firefly's escape?"

"Worse!" Strich squealed, "My collection of Deku hornet's is gone!"

"Your _what_?" both of us replied in shock.

He looked under shock: "They're all gone! And I almost had them all too…"

After a moment I registered, that the hornet's where probably not alive and relaxed: "Geez, dude! Don't worry, they're bees! You can find new ones on lots of the islands and…"

Obviously that had been the wrong thing to say, for Strich went completely mental, raging over the loss of his collection. _Okay, fellow, I got it! _

Finally, when he seemed at a loss on what to say, Groose grabbed his lackey and pulled him off, searching for Cawlin and that nest of dead bees. Seriously, who steals dead bees?

Sighing, I started up the stairs. But just then, I ran into Link who was opening the door of his room, exiting it. He greeted me, looking extremely sleepy, and just behind him, Zelda followed him out, scolding him: "Now look what you've done! You missed breakfast by ages and… oh, good morning, Medowlaria!"

"Um, morn'." I replied, looking unsure. Why had she been in his room?

"He's a nightmare in the mornings! Can't get up worth beans, can he!" she exclaimed, "I knocked on his door a zillion times, but when I finally just went in, he had fallen asleep again! Can you imagine that?"

I had to grin: "Oh, I sure can, Zelda!"

Link looked at me in surprise, then he gave me such a warm smile, that my heart felt fit to melt. I bet my face grew really hot and red. How embarrassing! What was Zelda going to think?

Zelda grabbed Link and pulled him towards the stairs: "Get to the bathroom and get ready! Don't forget to get some extra sleep tonight, we want to meet in front of the statue tomorrow, remember? Before the Wing ceremony!"

"Er, Zelda?" I pleaded carefully, "I actually just came to ask, if I could help you out somehow today."

She stopped pushing Link up the stairs and turned to face me, removing a strand of hair out of her face while doing so: "I don't think so. Thank you a lot for the kind offer, but I think we're kinda set."

"Except for us students!" Link mumbled, earning himself a nudge in the side. The two of them climbed the rest of the stairs, laughing and giggling together.

And I?

My heart was stinging. How could seeing two people you love dearly so happy together make you feel so miserable?

I tried desperately to shake off the thought and started off towards the downstairs door again, when someone called my name, hoisting me out of my deep hole of self-pity.

"Fledge? What is it?" I asked, looking rather surprised.

"Um, where are you going off to?" he asked looking a bit flustered. I was used to that. most people where unsure how to deal with me. Either cause they thought I was a nuisance, or because they couldn't deal with my brother.

"I don't know. Probably flying. Why?" I asked back. If I wasn't all too mistaken, he was the only one from his group, who wasn't qualified for this year's round at the wing ceremony.

To my surprise he asked: "Would you mind if I tagged along?"

"Sure, why not? Your bird was rather disappointed, that you couldn't fly together tomorrow, so I think he'll be happy about a little excursion today." I stated with a warm smile. I thought Fledge was a nice guy. A very cowardly, but friendly, nice guy.

Well, looked like at least I wasn't going to be alone all day again. But then again, if I was with my loftwing, I was never really alone!


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

The great Wing Ceremony… I can't remember ever having been so excited about it before. I was so wound up, that I even flew home early, not cutting curfew by a minute. Fledge had returned long before, cause his stamina sucked and his bird was growing tired already. But flying alone hurt a bit. Especially since my loftwing kept giving me knowing glances.

At home, my mom was busy in the dining room, talking to someone about how tiring children could be. I sneaked a peak though the door and saw, that Mallara and mom where sitting at the table, chatting. Well, wouldn't Pipit be pleased to know, that she was hanging around at my place, complaining over how difficult is was to raise children.

I tiptoed back to my room and closed the door quietly. With a sigh, I walked over to my desk, and took a seat. While I started to rummage through some papers I had lying around, I started thinking about the Ceremony. Probably Link was going to become a senior, even if he lost the tournament. He was an exceedingly gifted flyer. However, he was also lazy as hell, just like me, and his written grades where average. But still, it ought to be good enough.

Groose was going to have some trouble. His attitude was getting in his and his bird's way lately. Also, against Link, he stood no chance.

Cawlin was a bad flyer and only an average student, so probably no chance for him. Strich was too dreamy in class and probably was going to fail as well. Also he was too gentle with his green loftwing and let him do as he pleased. So, no way.

That's when I asked myself for the first time, if I could be capable of winning a Wing Ceremony. Would I be able to fly fast enough? Would my loftwing be able to fly so calmly, that I could snatch the statue from the golden loftwing? The thought made me restless and uncomfortable. I highly doubted it for a good reason.

_Maybe… maybe not ever having attended serious flying lessons does have a few down sides… _I thought, staring out of my little window into the pitch-black darkness of the night.

I started feeling really tired suddenly, and before I could even walk over to my bed, I fell asleep instantly.

Next morning I woke up from alone and stared at the ceiling for at least half an hour before I realized I was lying on my bed. _Okay, how did I get here?_ I asked myself, looking around my room. My desk chair was tucked under the table neatly and my blankets where folded perfectly.

Rats. Mom had been in here!

Alarmed I got up, checking the sky. It was just past dawn. That more or less meant I broke my record. Suddenly my mom opened the door, while I was putting on some pants: "Oh, you're already up!"

"Well, yeah!" I mumbled, pulling my pants all the way up and fastening my belt, "It's not going to turn into a habit anytime this year, so don't bother getting used to it!"

"Well, today is a big day for Groose." she decided, handing me my laundry, "So it's good that you're up. What are you going to do today?"

I thought for a moment, while I picked up a dark green shirt: "I dunno… I'll probably go flying later, after the Ceremony. I sure hope Groose wins!"

"Don't we all…" mom sighed, looking a bit excited. I rolled my eyes and slipped into my shirt, next walking over to my wardrobe, opening it and picking out blue scarf with silver lining. That would do for today.

When I turned to face her again, I caught her staring at my desk: "What's up?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing."

"Nothing isn't sitting on my desk. What's up?" I repeated, giving her a suspicious look.

She didn't see _that _when she cleaned up in my room yesterday night, did she-

"Nothing really! I was just… a bit surprised over what I found there yesterday." she stuttered, her cheeks turning a bit pink. Shoot.

_Note to myself, move those smutty books!_ I told myself and shrugged: "I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you found something weird in that stack of stuff Groose gave me the other day, cause his room is overflowing with sporty equipment."

"Oh, well, yes, that must've been it." she replied hastily, looking a bit flustered. Maybe hiding those detailed romance novels under my unfinished sewing had not been such a hot idea…

I left the house before mom and father did. They where taking so long, that I decided at some point to leave them behind and just go ahead. It was a sunny, beautiful morning. All of the clouds above our heads had disappeared and the wind Beedle had been complaining about had died down. This was remarkable flying weather. Perfect for the day of the Wing Ceremony.

I greeted Gully, who was running past me, after a butterfly, and said hi to Keet, who was walking across the little bridge the same time as I was too. He seemed to be okay, even if he did look a bit pale. He even asked me, if I could check on his bird later today, to see if she's okay. Only after I had sworn, he let me go and continued walking down the street, finally sitting down on a bench by the Plaza. I had to grin.

Suddenly I felt a familiar jolt in my chest and looked up, to see my loftwing flying at me, landing more or less on my feet moments later. He started pushing me towards the ledge momentarily, as if he was pleading me to fly with him now. Seeing how much I love to fly, I raced him to the edge and jumped, arms spread open, falling into the endlessness of the sky. Without me summoning him by whistling, my bird caught me and flew me off into the sky.

"Hey, I can't fly around all day! I have to go to the Knight Academy!" I called out, but my loftwing ignored me.

_Strange…_ I thought, _Why is he taking me to the area of the sky, where the Ceremony will take place?_

A call for my name made me look up. It was a female Knight in a dark red Uniform. She flew next to me, close enough for us to be able to speak: "What are you up to Medowlaria?"

"I don't know. Ask him!" I replied back loudly, motioning at my bird, who gave a chuckled chirp.

"Well, maybe you could help me then? I need to get rid of those annoying monsters, that have settled themselves in the Ceremony area again!" she explained, grinning. I knew her, she had complimented my flying skills openly once.

As an answer, I winked at my bird, who seemed to be bursting with extra energy today, and we took off to kick some Sky octorok's back sides.

They're easy enough to defeat. In moments of attack, I lay myself totally in his hands, letting him take over the lead. He dodged the attacks perfectly, then giving the command back to me, where I then planned the counterattack and gave him the spurs in the right moment.

Let's just say, we blasted those little parasites away before they could injure us. My loftwing flew flawlessly. Once, I saw Zelda's blue bird fly by us and they had a little chat. It was a bit annoying, listening to them spreading bird-gossip, but after that we concentrated on our task again. Zelda's loftwing flew off in direction of the Academy.

It didn't take long until the task was done. Grinning satisfiedly, we said goodbye to the Knight and we parted, flying off in different directions. I was a bit confused though. Why had those sky octoroks infested that area over night again? This was starting to get annoying.

My loftwing and I where about to land on Skyloft again, when I saw, that the big gate was locked. Jakamar was standing there, repairing it. And behind him was Link. They where talking. Usually, I don't care about other people's conversations, but my heart stung badly, when I remebered, where he must be off to. He wanted to go meet Zelda in front of the statue.

My loftwing suddenly gave me a knowing glance over his shoulder: _You shouldn't eavesdrop, Med! _

„Shut up..." I mumbled, giving him the spurs. He rolled his eyes and flew up, high into the sky again.

My concience won over my need in the end. I didn't land by the statue after all, instead, I decided to just fly a bit more in the sky, waiting for the clearance horn-signal, telling everyone to get out of the air, so the ceremony could start. In moments like those, flying is just the best thing I can do to forget. It's like the soaring wind that makes my hair fly and presses against my ears, roaring, takes all of my thoughts with it as I drown in absolute peacefullnes. And that was just what I needed right then, to forget. Forget about Link, about Zelda. Forget about Groose and his ambition-driven stupidity. Forget about myself, my painful loneliness and my pityful cravings for love and acceptance.

But the world didn't like to leave me alone in that state of peace. One moment I was gliding over the subtle sheets of air, next thing I knew, I was being ripped out of my trance by an ear piercing screech of a loftwing. My bird bucked in shock and we both almost toppled out of the midair. Immediately, my sight sharpened and I slowed the flying pace of my loftwing mercilessly, listening into the winds. What had made that noise? It had been a strained cry of pain and exhaustednes. I reviewed the screech in my mind. I knew that voice... That was Zelda's blue female bird!

I looked around, alarmed. Had she been attacked? Was she hurt? That loftwing was sick, I couldn't believe it, if Zelda was really flying it!

That's when I saw it. Someone was falling off the ledge of the Goddesses statue. And Zelda's blue bird was desperately trying to carry him back up. It looked like there where two people on the blue girl. I squinted. She was going to make it. But those people, they looked a lot like Zelda and...

Link!

I froze. For the love of Hylia, what had happened? What wis wrong with his bird? Hadn't he called for him? Every loftwing must listen to its bound partner for life when he calls. The only thing that could have happened, was that the bird was injured or caught!

_We should go and check!_ my bird cawed, looking at me, knowing.

I frowned again. Yes, I wanted to go look, if I could help. But I made him fly slowly. Something overcame me, while we inched towards the ledge. It felt like a warning, an air of threat. My heart was pounding painfully and my ears where ringing in alarm. It took me a moment to understand was going on. Someone was watching me. That was the feeling I always got, when someone was trailing my every move.

I shivered.

_What is wrong?_ My bird looked at me, confused. I guessed his thoughts and mumbled: „Someone is watching us. I don't know why, I just know."

When we finally arrived at the ledge, Link had disappeared and Zelda was alone with her bird, talking to it in a gentle, shaky voice. I jumped off my loftwing while we where still in flight and landed harshly next to them. Zeldas head shot up and she met my gaze with big, tearful eyes.

„In the name of Hylia, Zelda! What the heck happened?" I exclaimed crouching down on the floor next to her, scanning her bird over briefly, trying my best to ignore the pain of jealousy as well as this strange tingling creeping the crook of my neck.

Insted of Zelda answering, someone else replied to my question: „Links bird din't come when he called for it."

My head snapped up to stare at headmaster Gaepora. I hadn't really realized, that he was there: „That's not good. Do you have any clue what might have happened?"

„No. But before we get detailed on that, what kind of stunt are you trying to pull, young lady?" he mumbled, hinting at my not so elegant jump.

I sighed and shrugged: „I'm sorry, I misjudged the height. But anyway, do you think Red might be hurt or something?"

Zelda and her father shot me a very confused expression that reminded me again that they where father and daughter: „Red?"

„His bird! I just call him Red, that's shorter than crimson loftwing or whatever." I explained, starting to lose my patience, „But whatever, you're the headmaster of the Rescue Knight Academy, so what is your guess?"

Most of the grown-ups had learned that I didn't exactly differenciate myself from them a lot. If there was a problem, I could act maturely. It was just that I was always a bit annoying.

„I don't think so, or he would hear him crying. But then again, I have no idea! I think Link is going to talk to the professors about that, Horwell knows a lot about loftwings, and so does Pipit. Why don't you ask them about that? I have to take care of this Ceremony."

I swallowed my sharp remark that Pipits „knowledge" was not going to be any help at all, seeing that he didn't know a thing I didn't. Insted I nodded like a good girl and mumbled a little good-bye as he stalked off, looking stressed. Once he was gone, I turned to face Zelda again: „Your bird was sick already. You should go easy on her today, or you can't fly her the next few days!"

„Yes I know... But Medowlaria, you don't think that whatever got Keet the other day... might have gotten..." she stumbled over the next few words, „He said he couldn't feel his bird!"

„In Hylias name, would you give me a break!" I thundered, a bit harsher than I had planned to, „His bird will be fine! I think it's more likely that it is cought somewhere! And that somewhere is probably at the other end of the island or something. Listen here, I will fly around the sky, looking for Red and you listen around in town. Maybe Link knows something by now! So don't worry so much!"

She was a bit flustered and looked upset, but she nodded, seeing that this was our best shot. I whistled towards my loftwing. He had sat down on the platform of the statue and cawed out in eager response. I laughed and raced him to the ledge, not bothering with whistling again. He picked me out of free fall and we flew off into the morning sky. Geez, somehow life wasn't planning on letting me have a day off today, was it.

We flew in the direction of the bamboo island and circled off towards Punpkin landing. I figured that if his bird was stranded somewhere, it would be easiest to hear its calls if I scanned the way towards the pub. There where many small Islands here. But I was not only looking for Links bird. Mostly, I was trying to understand this feeling of beeing watched. It hadn't ceased, but no matter how often I looked around, I couldn't find the source of my paranoia.

But then, when we where just hovering above the Tournament grounds and looking around, I suddenly shrieked and my bird bucked, almost toppling me off. A piercing call clashed through the sky, ringing in our ears. He was screeching in agony and I would have covered my ears, hadn't I been clinging to his feathers for dear life.

Then the next thing I knew, it had stopped. I was shaking and so was my loftwing. What had that been? I tried to understand it, but I couldn't.

„What the... What was that?" I called, hoping that my bird could undertand me over the roaring of the wind, as we where eager to land back in Skyloft in case our eardrumms would be violated again in near future. He looked back at me with big, panic widened eyes.

_That was the great master of winds. He has been crying out in pain every now and then. But I wouldn't have thought, that a mere hylian could hear it! _he cawed in surprise. I wanted to give him a sleezy retort, but I had to concentrate on landing.

Once we where safe on the ground by the training hall, I caught my breath: „I've never heard that before. Who is the master of winds? And what is ailing him that he tries to shriek my ears off?"

My bird arched an eyebrow: _He is a god. When he cries in pain, something bad is happening. But we don't know where. All we hear is his calls of frustration and anger. _

Before I could ask any more of the questions burning on my toungue, someone called my name in surprise. I turned around, finding myself facing Pipit and...

„Fledge? What happened to you?" I asked surprised. He was pale and fidgeting even more than he usually did. Pipit on the other hand looked extremely cross. Uh oh.

Out of some weird reason, my heart sank in dread. Please, don't tell me that Fledge had anything to do with Links bird! Please not him! Not this one nice guy in an ocean of idiots! Please, not him!

„Have you heard about Links bird? I was just talking to Fledge and he knows something rather interesting." Pipit suddenly addressed my fear head on. Well, he _knows _was still a better sign than _he did_, right?

I sure hoped so.

„What... what is it?" I asked, sounding, out of whatever reason, more nervous than I felt.

Pipit shot Fledge a little glare and he jumped and said barely audibly: „Groose and the others caught it! They where planning on locking him away so that Link can't participate... I heard them talking about it in the cafeteria..."

He didn't speak any farther and I couldn't blame him. I knew how hard it was for him to be the only one in Links year who wasn't taking part at the Ceremony.

But something was bothering me: „Why didn't you tell anyone?"

„I..." his voice broke and he looked away ashamed. My heart sank even lower. I hadn't inteded on hurting his ego, not that he had one in the first place. I hated it, that he was always the guy everybody picked on. He was a really, really nice person and he always tried so hard. Pipit broke into the awkward silence and said: „We just talked to Link about that. He went to go find a way into the waterfall."

Instantly my thoughts snapped back on track: „The _waterfall_?! How is he planning on getting in! They planted trees in front of it so you can't get into the cave anymore."

They exchanged a glance I knew to understand. They both where definitely thinking the same thing: Okay, she's right and we all forgot about that, but it is questionable why she knows it in the first place. Dumbasses. It's not like I tresspassed into that monster filled cave _that _often!

I thought for a second. Those trees where still incredibly young. If Link had a sword...

I knew from Groose, who had complained often before about this, that the swordmaster, Eagus, didn't let you take the swords out of the Sparring hall (maybe a good a idea, seen that Groose would've probably used it to stab Link). But anyway, maybe if we convinced him it was an imergancy...

„Root for me boys, I'm gonna try to persuade Eagus to give me a sword so Link doesn't get killed by Chu Chu's in that cave!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

If you'd think for a single second that Eagus even listened to my explaination on why I need that stupid sword, you'd be sorrowly mistaken. Seriously! He didn't even let me into the room where he stored the weapons. Stupid knight!

I found myself running after Link as fast as I could, combining Eagus name with an entertaining mixture of ingenious insults under my breath. He didn't seem to be near the Plaza. Uncertain, I asked Keet who was sitting around on the bench, looking a bit gloom. Probably because he was not allowed to fly. After all, he had been caught.

„Link? Yeah, I saw him before. He was walking towards the bridge in the East. You know, he was fighting with Groose before." Keet explained. It took me a second to understand, why he was telling me this. Oh yeah, Groose was my brother and the one half of Skyloft had decided that he was my big brother and should be supervising my actions. The other half, obviously including Keet, was of the opinion that it was rather him who needed a babysitter, not me.

We and our parents had a very strained relationship in a way. They somehow managed to keep out of parenting us at all outside of our house. It reminded me a lot of Mallara and Pipit. Everyone knew that he was the one who took care of the whole household on his own, since she was the laziest person who resided in Skyloft. Including Link.

Hey, nothing against Link, but he's just so lazy! In a cute way that is...

Ahem, anyway, back to the topic! I frowned and asked: „Where is my brother now?"

„I think I saw them go off flying, but I dunno. Zelda was here too. Something about Links loftwing. Did something happen?"

„In a way." I avoided the theme and said good bye quickly. Geez, that idiot was always getting in trouble!

Quickly I ran around the corner and walked past the windmill, saying hi to Gully briefly, as I saw him run by, trying to catch a butterfly with his bare hands. I really hoped that Beetle could have his shop in the air soon before that little kid falls on his face after tripping over a rock or something, cause he is staring at the sky all the time. Reminds me a bit of Link.

Speaking of that guy, there he was. He was just jumping the stones and had reached the other side. There was something strapped to his back. I guessed it to be a stick or something, but I didn't really pay too close attention to it.

„Hey, Link!" I called accross the stream of water. Link stopped midtracks and turned around to face me, surprised. My heart made an uncomfortable leap.

„Medowlaria? What's up?"

Uh oh, his voice was strained. That meant he had woken up too early. That and my jealous brother had locked up his loftwing. Shoot. Why did Groose always have to mess things up for me? Weird, how Groose keeps messing things for me up and Link keeps messing things for him up. Zelda didn't even notice all of the chaos going on behind her back.

„You can't go into the cave!" I decided to address the problem head on.

„Why shouldn't I?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed. I have to say, that managed to boil up a bottle full of anger, but I controlled it best I could: „I don't know if you know that, but certain... people planted young trees in front of the entrance some time ago. You won't be able to get through!"

That's when I saw, what he had strapped to his back. It was a sword. My face flushed crimson. Oh. Okay, that was my new number one on my list of embarrassing moments. Good bye statement in front of the whole Skyloftian population, you're way overdone.

But to my surprise, Link gave me a smile. Not a smirk or a grin. A real, honest smile. My heart beat so fast, it felt like a bird flapping its wings madly, trying to escape my ribcage.

„Did you worry that much about me, Medowlaria?" he suddenly asked, making me blush even darker. My voice shook so much that I stuttered when I overhastedly responded: „I... I have n... no... No! O... of course not!"

„That's nice of you, but really. How old do you think I am." he laughed, „I've been in that cave before and trust me: Those monsters are a piece of cake, compared to Eagus's fencing lessons. So please, don't worry so much about me! Not even Zelda makes nearly as much of a fuss as you do, and Zelda's extreme! So please, don't act like you're my mother!"

Ouch, that hurt. _I'm not your mother, idiot! I just... _

No, Medowlaria! Don't you dare even think that to the end!

„N... Urgh, okay! I'm sorry. I'm just being stupid." I mumbled, surprised that he had heard me over the streaming water.

To my surprise his smile faded a bit: „I don't mind that much, in fact, I'm used to it. But you have to be careful, or you'll get in trouble with someone who doesn't like it at all, having you budging into his or her life and trying to supervise it."

I think I almost cried. That was harsh. I never did that! I always kept out of everyone's life, spare Grooses.

And Links.

I remembered the sailcloth. Hadn't I told him, that I was working on something to help Zelda? I didn't remember the whole conversation. But I was sure that I had at least asked him where Zelda was. And then when I had come in to the Knight Academy yesterday, just to ask Zelda if I could help. He must've thought me annoying.

That was it. Annoying. For me it was clear, that my attempts to impress him had failed. I had been trying to work on my problems, been trying to show him, that I'm not only an annoying kid. But apparently, that hadn't worked.

I surprised myself by the calmnes of my own voice, as I vocalized a reply: „...Okay. Good luck finding your loftwing. I hope he's okay."

He forced his smile back up: „Yes, I hope so too."

„Link!" I didn't know why I had stopped him, but I did never the less, „You... you do know that... I had nothing to do with that what Groose did, right?"

His only answer to that was a little nod.

I watched him walk into the cave. Once he had disappeared from sight, I silently jumped over the stones in the river and stared after him for a few more, endless seeming moments. Then I abruptly turned around and tossed myself of the jumping- ledge, fiercefully whistling out to my loftwing. The moments between when I called and when he arrived, I let out a long, loud curse into the sky.

We flew without having a real point of destination. We just wanted to get away. Yes, not just me. Him too. I was furious. Why, for Hylias sake, was Link being mean to me if I hadn't done anything wrong. I was pouting and cursing under my breath. My anger had apparently infected him, so we where both crossing the sky like the maniacs.

What had I done to give Link a reason to think I'm annoying? To think I'm a nuisance? Was it something I said? Yes, I'd been stupid to think, that he hadn't thought his plan through. But to be honest, I was just too worried. Why was he upset at me for worrying about him?

Suddenly my loftwing stopped midair. I shrieked in surprise: „What... What are you doing?!"

_I've had enough of this, you're being as childish as a fledgeling! _he cawed, looking about as cross as my dad had when I accidentally had admitted to flying after curfew.

„What's your point?" I snapped a bit harsher than I had intended. And I felt immediately, that I had just made a big mistake.

Suddenly, he bucked and started flying like an idiot. I clung into his feathers shrieking: „WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

_I will NOT have you boss me around! We've gone through this a dozen times! You are making it incredibly hard for yourself! Stopp raveling yourself in self pity and pull yourself together. Do you like him? Then tell him! You don't? Then stopp getting on my nerves!_ he cawed with an uncomforting amount of aggression in his voice. I swear, I was sure that we where about to crash into a pillar or something. It would have been just to comical and typical.

„OKAY!" I hollered at the topp of my lungs when he suddenly lunged toward a big rock in the middle of the sky (why the heck did these things hover around here anyway), „I GOT IT! I'm sorry, okay? I really am! I'm gonna stopp taking my anger out on you and I'm really, really, really sorry! SO PLEASE GET ME BACK ON THE GROUND!"

He smirked in a very self-satisfied manner, as far as a bird could, and soared out of the way in the very last possible moment. Believe me, my heart was deffinitely throught the clouds by now and I really hoped that Zeldas theory was right.

My loftwing turned to me and cawed: _If you complain over this theme ever again I will kick you off midair! Got it? _

I was quick enough to respond to this for once: „Okay, okay! I got it!"

When we finally landed on Skyloft, I swear I could've kissed the floor, if Groose hadn't been landing right next to us. He was together with Cawlin and Strich who semi-crashed. I have no idea how those idiots where expecting to win the tournament... Well, okay, they weren't, they where expecting Groose to win. The way their birds had landed told me rather obviously, that they had trained to much in the past few days. That would make their flying slower. One advantage for Link, I'd guess.

„Hello Medowlaria! What's up?" Groose asked. Cawlin scowled and Strich chuckled in his so incredibly goofy way of looking happy.

I turned to face the latter: „Nothing. Did you find those Deku Hornets?"

„Aye, they where hidden in the kitchen." he explained, his smile whiped of cold. I saw Cawlin grin and decided to ignore him.

Instead I shot Groose the nastiest glare I could over my adrenalin-pumped blurry vision: „I cannot believe that you would be so disgraceful, as to kidnap Links bird! Are you mental?!"

He shrugged uncomfortably, stroking his Pompadour: „Oh come one! He isn't qualified to participate anywa..."

„Shut up, you idiot! Behind the waterfall? Seriously? How stupid ARE you? If his bird gets sick I'll promise you, he'll come for your skins!" I thundered, trying to ignore the wobblyness of my knees.

Groose shrugged me off: „For the love of Hylia, Med, you're not my mom! What do you want to do? Send me to my room? Grow up!"

„I'M ASSOCIATED TO YOU, YOU IDIOT!" I yelled after him as he and his lackeys walked off towards the plaza. He didn't hear or didn't care, more likely the latter. Menwhile my bird was half rolling on the floor laughing.

„Shut up..." I mumbled, stroking his feathers.

After he had enough of laughing himself sick, I followed after Groose and walked the way to the plaza. I needed a little break on flying, at least till after the tournament. My bird decided, as so often before, to simply walk behind me, stalkin me like a shadow. I don't know why he did that, I only know that all of Skyloft liked to tease me about it.

Suddenly something small and furry jumped right in front of my feet, causing me to trip over it, falling straight on my face.

„What the... MIA!" the female remlit shot me a surprised glance, then she pounced off quickly before I could get my hands on her. She was the only animal I couldn't handle in all of Skyloft.

Cursing under my breath I tried to get up. But no sooner than I had propped myself up on my ellbows, as someone reached out a hand to me: „Can I help you?"

I looked up. It was Fledge.

„Thanks mate." I mumbled letting him pull me up. Where the embarrassments of today never going to come to an end? Blushing a bit I found myself unable to say anthing. What was I supposed to say? And why was he being so silent?

After what felt like ages, he finally opened his mouth: „Um... well, I... I wanted to thank you for flying with me yesterday. It was really fun!"

„Sure thing. You're a lot nicer to be around and in the air with than my brother lately." that reminded me, „I'm sorry about what Groose did to you, mate. He really shouldn't have threatened you! I'm just sorry, he's being such an..."

„It's okay, it's not like you can influence that." he hastidly said, looking uneasy. Silence round number two.

Just as I was trying to figure out, what I was supposed to say next, I heard the start signal for the tournament. We whirled around, just in time to see the participants jump of the ledge and reappear moments later on their birds. Shoot. Mom, dad and Groose where going to kill me for missing this out!

„Let's hurry up. Of we'll miss the whole show!" I called, pulling Fledge after me, over the bridge towards the plaza.

And believe me, I had no clue how much of a show it still had to become!


	7. Chapter 6

Well, obviously Link hadn't been eaten by Chu Chu's, cause he was up in the air with the others, flying through the air like a fair haired god on his red bird. I swear, I'm not kidding! The sunlight made his hair glow like fire!

Urgh, okay, before I got to lost in those dreamy thoughts, Fledge suddenly started pulling on my sleeve: „Wanna go climb the lighttower with me? We can watch the whole ceremony from there. Here we only see a tiny bit of what's going on!"

I grinned mischievously. I mean, c'mon! Good little shy Fledge goes climbing up the Lighttower, I'd never thought I'd see the day. Laughing I started climbing the ladder on the side of the long building. Fledge was right after me. After we hit the first landing I dared check on the situation in the air. The golden loftwing was keeping his distance nd none of the participants seemed to have gotten all too close yet. Looked like this would be a long day.

I could see Link's loftwing for a brief moment and frowned. He was not necessarily slower than usual, but a lot less concentrated. He kept loosing altitude and Link was having some trouble keeping him in the air. They'd make it, it would just take a while.

„Um, Medowlaria? Aren't we going to go to the top?" Fledge asked uncertainly, sounding mildly out fo breath. I faced him, thinking he should really sport up his stamina. But before I could reply He said, sounding uncomfortable: „I-I mean we don't have to or something! This is just fine and..."

„Seriously, Fledge, gimme a break, it's okay! Don't worry so much!" I quickly tried to calm him, rolling my eyes. Okay, stamina_ and _self confidence.

We started climbing up, but in that moment, I heard a shriek across the whole sky. I recognized the voice, that was the golden loftwings'!

„What's going on out there...?" I thought, squinting. It hadn't been the triumphant caw telling everyone, that someone had won, it had been a shriek of surprise. But from my position I couldn't see anything.

After Fledge had said something, I noticed, that I had stopped midway up and quickly proceeded to the top of the lighthouse, carefull not to step on the giant orb in the ground (the one no one knows what it's there for) and looked out.

My jaw dropped.

Those jackasses where throwing eggs at Link and his bird!

Fledge gasped and I heard some covered murmurs from below. Oh my, they where really determined to fail, weren't they! We watched in awe, as Link again and again tried to reach his goal. Slowly I got the feeling, that he was more fighting the other three and was acutally the only one who was concentrating on actually getting the golden loftwing. A bit nervous I watched as Link dodged the eggs and suddely flew high above into the sky.

„What is he doing?" Fledge mumbled. I couldn't have told him I had wanted to. Was that a strategy? The crimson red color of his loftwing glowed like a fire crossing the sky and flew ever and ever higher, starting to circle above the ceremonial grounds. It almost seemed as if they where lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike their prey. In moments like those, you could really see the perfect harmony between Link and his bird. They flew as if they where steered by one mind. Not even me and my loftwing managed to sync at that level.

Suddenly they bucked up briefly and the next thing we knew, was that they where diving, falling, out of the middle of the sky, shooting directly at the golden loftwing, who of course hadn't noticed them, since they where approaching from above. I held my breath. They where going to crash! They where going way to fast to be able to stop that dive!

But he caught his bird perfectly, cutting off Cawlin, Strich and my annoying brother in one, just behind the golden bird with the statue. My heart stopped for a moment. I swear, the whole world froze midtracks.

He dodged one a futile attack with ease and started standing up on the back of his bird, reaching out infront of the sun to the little statue in the claws of the golden loftwing. Something about that picture throbbed in my heart. He was so beautiful. It might be weird to call a boy beautiful, but I just thought he was. A beautiful man I loved everything about. Even thought he was a few hundred yards away, I could see the details of his determined expression and the energy in his hand as he clasped his hands around the statuette and hoisted it up in triumph.

Fledge squeeled happily and I heard Zelda shrieked a very loud: „YES!"

I was about to break out into applause, but all words got stuck in my throat. I could see Zelda running at the ledge and jumping off with a strangely graceful ease. And I could also see that she was not planning on calling her bird. It was not until Link caught her out of the sky that I dared breathe. They flew off towards the statue of the goddess, reminding me of the final part of the ceremony. Oh yeah, the „promised private time" that Groose had hoped for.

I gulped. In a way, Groose's fantasies hadn't all been stupid. The idea of standing on the top of the grand statue with him, handing him the present I had helped to make...

But he thought me annoying.

I groaned. Great, now I needed to know! As if he had neard me, I heard a familiar caw hovering above my head.

I almost arrived fast enough to witness the whole procedure, but unfortunately I missed almost half of it. By the time I had circled around to watch from above, so no one would catch me, he was just receiving the sailcloth. Unfortunately I was to high up to understand what was being said. Grumbling, I allowed my loftwing to land on the statues head, looking down uncertainly. Come to think about it, I had no clue what actually happened after the wing ceremony. Pipit had been all red faced and happy after his, in a suspicious way, mind you.

And damn, Zelda was getting a heck of a lot too close to Link for my taste.

My bird chirped in a comical way, but my heart was sinking by the second.

I shouldn't have done this. If they should kiss now (my whole body shook at the thought) I would never be able to look either Link or Zelda in the eye again. Ever!

I held my breath. Zelda had closed the space between them so far, that their foreheads where touching. I couldn't see, what exactly they where up to, but it seemed to me as if they weren't kissing. Yet. Something weird was in the air. A hint of fear, anticipation and nervousness was reeking off those little lovebirds down there, which was driving me mad, but there was something else.

This feeling of someone watching me was still there. It had been lurking and had even faded to the point where I couldn't feel it at all anymore. But now it was back. And it was very intense.

But before I could collect one more thought, Zelda, without any warning, judging Links expression, suddenly whirled him around and pushed him of the ledge. For one moment I was ready to fling myself after him and catch him out of the air with my bird, but then I saw how he hoisted up the sailcloth and landed in the middle of the round plate beneath the statue.

My heart still pounding like I'd just run around Skyloft without catching my breath once, I leaned back against my bird, listening to the blood racing past my eardrums. In the name of the goddess, I'd just been so scared for him!

I was such an idiot! I knew that he didn't need saving, or help or anything, he was just fine on his own! And he couldn't stand it, when I kept worrying about him. Why couldn't I just leave him alone? He had told me straight in the face, that he found me annoying. I should really try letting him go.

_Are you alright?_ my bird suddenly cawed, looking rather worried. Out of whatever reason, seeing him giving me such a caring glance made me want to cry. I shook my head: "I have to get out of here… Can we go out to one of the islands? Please?"

I guess it was the "please" part that alarmed him the most. I never say please, unless it's really necessary. Whatever it was, he allowed me to crawl on his back and took off into the sky, soundlessly, while Zelda followed Link down, using her bird. They had free time now, I knew that. Usually the participants where even encouraged to spend some time alone with their birds. Groose had explained that to me once, but I forgot most of the details. However, it was also rather common, that they would fly out together with friends, many even flew over to Pumkin landing to fetch some soup. They usually didn't come back to the celebration till late at night which always got them in trouble. Not that they flew at night, I was the only unauthorized kid around here who was brave/stupid enough to do that. They just grouped together in some corner and drank themselves silly. Yeah, I know. Really uncool.

But I didn't want to know where they went. I didn't want to go back to the rest of the Island where I'd undoubtedly be encountered by snide remarks on my bone-head-of-a-brothers behavior. And I most definitely didn't feel like going home and just staying there. Best would be, if I just got out of the way.

It didn't actually take long to get to one of the Eastern islands, where we sat down and watched the birds fly at the horizon. But for me it felt like hours. I was getting angry again, but I wasn't stupid enough to vent it on my bird again. That one of these mistakes I actually only made once and never again.

Instead, I was angry at Groose. His little ego had definitely suffered some serious puncturing today and to be perfectly honest, he so totally deserved it! What an idiot! Attacking and having his minions (yes I know that's a mean term for Strich and Cawlin but seriously?) attack my Link! (Yes, I know I'm being posessive!)

But lying on my back on the little island, I had to think about what Zelda had said about the world under the clouds. The big surface… What would it be like to stare at the clouds from below? I didn't really want to think about it. It gave me a weird feeling. The same one I'd experienced while she'd still been describing it: A longing. I really could imagine it.

Before I could stop myself, I was painting images in my head of how the surface could look like. Maybe there where even bigger loftwings down there? For all I knew our birds grew the biggest when they had enough to eat, and I could imagine that there was loads of food on the endless surface. Maybe there where some other kinds of Remlits? Maybe they had different colors or longer fur. Imagining a long-haired Mia made me smirk. What if there where even more kinds of animals and - I shuddered at the thought - monsters? I could learn about them too, I could mend them and earn more money. Also, that'd give me a fool-proof excuse for getting out of my house.

_What if the surface is really different than you think it is?_ my bird groaned after I'd filled him in on my ideas. He had decided to take a break here with me. But I didn't let that discourage me: "Only one way to find out! Why don't you ever fly below the clouds anyway?"

_I don't like it._ he mumbled simply. I was curious, but before I could squeeze any more information out of him, something else caught my attention. The hairs on my neck where all suddenly standing on end, causing chills to run down my spine. What was going on?

Then it hit me.

I mean that literally, it hit me. The feeling of being watched escalated and next I knew, I was certain that there was someone here. Right here, right next to me.

I jumped to my feet and whirled around. But there was nothing there! Somewhere between here and Skyloft I could see two people flying around, but otherwise I was totally alone. Nevertheless, my certainty was becoming sharper and more desperate by the second. It was almost like… It couldn't be that something was coming towards-

That was the moment I turned back around, facing Skyloft, and my vision exploded into a gust of golden diamonds.

I would have screamed, but he wasn't even facing me. Or she. To be honest, in the first moment I wasn't sure if he was male or female. I only saw the red cloak under which some very feminin legs with even more feminine tights stood. Even though he/she was facing the opposite way, it was like being hit in the face by a wall. A wall of might and power. I stood frozen to the spot. He hadn't seemed to have noticed me yet, so I decided to just keep my big mouth securely shut.

My bird, who had been standing in an angle, that he was staring right at him, gawked in surprise and took off right away, as if he was fleeing from him. Something I could totally understand.

The person chuckled and slowly began to lift his arms. Words spilled from his lips that where more hisses than syllables. It freaked me totally out, but at the same time it strangely… fascinated me. Energy, pure energy was being pulled out of our surroundings to collect before him, in his hands. Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel it.

Suddenly the "great master of winds" roared again, making me almost groan and clasp my ears shut. But even so I heard the next words the dangerous stranger before me said: _"Bring her to me! Bring her to my master so that he shall rise again! Come now!" _

My ears felt like they where about to burst. The shrieking only I seemed to be able to hear way growing fainter, but at the same time a new noise was sprouting.

My head snapped up to stare at the sky. It was darkening. A red gloom was spreading over it, reaching into the blue and wrestling it away mercilessly. And I could see a black hole opening up in the middle of the clouds. The two flying people (I finally recognized them to be Zelda and Link) where flying right towards it, even though they where trying to get away. Breathlessly I stared as a wave of power surged through me and made me tumble back. The wind was starting to pick up and swarm to the center of the black, massive tunnel until a whirlwind of shadows was formed in the middle of the sky. And it was sucking Link and Zelda right into it!

I stood helpless. Zelda's bird, weakened as it was, was being sucked into the winds, deeper and deeper by the heartbeat. Link flung himself forward, desperately grasping her hand and trying with all his might to pull her out of the deathly dangerous winds. He wasn't going to make it! He was being sucked in as well!

_Help! _the cry of his loftwing hit me like a brick wall, _Medowlaria, help us!_

Zelda's hand slipped.

Link was hoisted away into the sky, straight off his poor bird.

The sight of both of them falling finally woke me out of my shock. I screamed Links name and tore past that maniacal wind-mage or whatever he was, and flung myself over the ledge, whistling even before I jumped. My bird caught me not a second after my feet left the ground.

But before I got farther than a few feet, I turned my head to catch a glimpse of who had just done that to Zelda.

My heart froze midbeat. It was a man, judging his anatomy, but he was not Hylian. There was no way. Even though his ears where long and pointy and his appearance was similar, there was something else to him that excluded that possibility. Maybe his brown, make-upped eyes that looked like they could burn a hole into the sky without any other tricks. Maybe it was just this demonic aura.

And he was staring at me.

With a frightened yelp I gave my loftwing the spurs. But he didn't plan on attacking me. He smiled the most devilish smile I'd ever seen, snapped his fingers…

And was gone in a gust of golden triangles. The same moment the tornado dissolved into nothing and the red faded from the sky momentarily. It had done its job.

Speechless as I was, I did nothing but stare as my loftwing steered us to the falling Link, catching him in his claws long before he hit the clouds, and flew us to Skyloft.

Finally my brain seemed to turn on automatic. After we had landed amidst the professors who had gathered infront of the godess's statue, making space for us with wide eyes, I climbed off my birds back, gingerly stroking Links hair out of his face. He was okay, just unconscious. Shaking, I stood up and toppled towards the headmaster, who looked really upset: "What in the name of Hylia happened? What's going on here?"

"I…" I looked out into the sky again, fearing a little I might look into those dark eyes again, "I don't know. Please, take care of Link. A-and if h-he asks… I d-didn't save him, o-kay?

Towards the end of my sentence my words became more and more strained and broke. He didn't want me to stick my nose in other people's businesses? He didn't want me to "save" him?

Fine.

Stumbling, I somehow managed to crawl home, dodging the other people. Nobody seemed to have noticed the tornado at all. Exhausted I reached my own door. Mom was standing just inside, I could hear her yelling at Groose. Probably because of his cheating, but I was too tired to care. I opened the door quietly, walking into just the predicted scene.

"…and now you have to wait _another_ year if you want to graduate! What is this with your irresponsible, ego-driven, stupid…" she stopped mid-tracks and turned to vent more of her frustration on me, " "And YOU! Where on earth where you? We had_ agreed_ that we would go talk to Gondo about your apprenticeship after the tournament and you where gone!"

I could have told her, that she obviously had forgotten to mention that to me (I mean, not that it mattered, I would have been off anyway) but I felt so drained. It didn't make sense, but out of whatever reason, my whole body was so tired and I just wanted to sleep.

"Med? Where do you think you're…" before she could speak to the end, I had walked past them and was in my room. She stopped talking right away. I know, I'm an asshole and a bitch most of the time. But I didn't just totally ignore her unless I was really upset. She kindly shut up and decided to continue venting on Groose.

Tears where rolling down my cheeks. Link almost died. What if I hadn't caught him? And Zelda! She… she was gone. That horrible storm had ripped her out of the sky.

I didn't fear for her life though. That… _man_ had mentioned that he needed her. And I somehow just knew, that he needed her alive. For now.

Those eyes…

A choking whimper escaped my throat. He really scared me. I was so afraid.

Funny. I couldn't recall when I'd last been really afraid. Yes, I'd been nervous, yes, I'd broken a sweat when my bird had made those insane stunts. But now?

I was fearing for my life. Without any real reason.

Shaking I lied down on my bed curling up like a baby. I wished my bird was here. I wanted to snuggle against his broad feathers and sleep in his wings, like I had so often when I'd just gotten him. We'd sometimes snuck away, flying so far out, that we got stranded at night. Before I'd figured out how to fly even at night, we'd just curl up, me beneath his wing, and sleep.

_I'm lost… Please, please come to me…_ I thought, shaking and shivering. But even though it was just past midday, sleep crept into my eyes, making my eyelids heavy until they fluttered closed, drowning my fear and worries.

For the moment.


	8. Chapter 7

When I woke up it was well after midnight. My bird was far away, I could feel his even breathing like my own. Sleeping.

I got up, no real idea, where I was off to. Just walking. I found my hands touching the windowsill, searching for the lever of the loftwing-door. When I found it, I hoisted it open with all my might and crept through, outside, into the night. Till now I don't know, why I did it, or how for that matter. Those doors weigh a ton! But the moment I stood out in the night, I broke into a heavy run. My footsteps on the cold stone beneath me, carried me farther and farther from the house, toward the lighttower.

Something was in the air. I couldn't place my finger on it, for that I was way too tired. When I reached the tower, I found myself climbing it, step for step. The higher I got, the more intense the feeling got. Once I hit the first landing, I realized what I was hearing; Voices. Countless voices filled the night, calling out to something I didn't know. I didn't know where they where from, I didn't know what they were saying, but I kept climbing.

By the time I reached the top, I could filter three voices from the whirlwind of, what I had understood as, singing. And I could tell, where it was coming from: High above. Much higher than the tower and right above the cloud bubble in the western part of the sky.

I closed my eyes and just listened to the singing. It was growing louder and louder, calling into the sky. I could sense a fourth, weaker voice, then a fifth. It startled me, but the small, fifth voice, came from the statue of the goddess. I turned my head just in time to see a bolt of light, charging through the night. I think I might have screamed, I don't remember, the song was so loud it would have washed my little voice away with ease in any case. A pool of light blinded me for a moment, though it was far off the island. By the time I could see again, a vast green light stood tall and unshaken out south in the sea of clouds.

The voices grew silent. Only the fifth, small voice remained. And I was dying to find out, what it was saying.

Within moments I had climbed down the lighttower. I took the passage past the Academy, climbed the boxes and jumped onto the ledge. The farther I got, the louder the voice became, just as before. It was a woman's voice, that I could tell. Monotone, emotionless, stoic. It reminded me of something, but as before, I didn't understand that feeling. To my surprise, the gate to the statue's plaza was open, so I didn't need to climb around. Slowly, I approached the statue. I could barely believe my eyes: There was an opening in the statue! Like a door. Something told me, to keep myself hidden, so I approached slowly and peeked in with great caution.

First I saw the headmaster. Then I saw Link, then the sword. I gasped. The voice came from the blade!

I guess the headmaster had heard me, cause he turned to face me and froze. I sunk farther into the shadows, my heart hammering loudly. He turned back to talk to Link, but with the singing in my ears, I couldn't understand a single spoken word. Link and he, they kept looking up to a certain spot, but I couldn't see, what they where looking at. Then suddenly, a light sphere appeared out of nowhere and descended to the sword. And with that…

Everything grew silent with a start. I felt as though I had jolted out of a dream.

Next thing I knew, the headmaster was talking about inappropriate clothes and told Link to get changed. And then the two of them started walking toward me.

So, yeah, I ran for it.

I stumbled across the plaza and hid behind the trees, until I was sure they had past me. Once I heard the gate fall shut, I lied down and tried to reorganize my thoughts. The singing voices, the pool of light, the entrance to the statue… It was all a bit too much to grasp in so little time. I glanced at the gate. It was going to be locked till sunrise. If I just waited for another hour or two, I could go through without climbing around. For that I felt a bit too tired.

Thoughtful I glanced up into the sky. I was hearing everything a lot louder than I would have normally. The whispers of the people down in their houses, awoken by the light. The murmur of the Knight watch, the whistling of the wind and the gushing of the waterfall. Even the faint rustle of wings unfurling was loud enough for me to hear. And there was something more. It was faint, ever farther than my loftwing, more intense even than the wind.

It was like a faint heartbeat. And it felt like a call.

After only a few moments, I think I must have fallen back asleep.

When I awoke, it was midday. I don't know till today, how I managed to sleep for so long, but I guess I would have slept even farther, hadn't my loftwing decided to land on my feet. But when we walked down into the market, we quickly learned, that Link was gone. According to Luv, he bought all sorts of crap in the bazaar, then, according to Gully, flew off into the sky. Where he went then, nobody knew.

But I did have a bad feeling where he might have disappeared to.

Pipit was the first person I saw, when I entered the Academy. He looked desperate and gave me a confused glance, when I came in.

"What are you up to, Medowlaria? Looking for Groose?" he asked, his high pitched voice giving him away.

"Um, no. Do you know, where Link is?" I looked behind him, where the headmaster was walking down the hall, Henya by his side. She was explaining one thing or another to him, something about dinner.

Pipit sighed: "I don't. But I did see him this morning. Poor chap, he seemed really unhappy, that Zelda has gone missing."

"Gone missing." I repeated, trying hard not to raise an eyebrow. I think there's a small difference between going missing and being sucked into a gigantic tornado by some tights-wearing maniac, but maybe that's just my opinion.

Pipit sighed: "Well, in any case. We have the day off, because the professors are busy organizing tons of stuff, so I'll be at my house, getting some sleep. If somebody asks, please tell them that, okay?"

I nodded with a meek smile, then passed him, going after the headmaster. But he was still talking to Henya. Sitting there in front of the kitchens on the floor, waiting, I finally had a chance to relapse all of yesterdays occurrences. Distracted as I was, I barely noticed the footsteps approaching me, until Owlan came to a stop in front of me and said my name.

Quickly I scrambled to my feet: "Um, hi professor!

"Medowlaria, it is good to see you. Would you mind checking on your brother?" the professor asked before I could follow.

"Uh…" I blinked, "Sure. But… why?"

"Since Zelda's disappearance he's been a bit…" the teacher started looking for words with that look of desperation on his face that made me laugh.

I grinned at Owlan: "Tragic? Dramatic?"

"That sounds right." he smirked, rolling his eyes so little, that I could barely see it. Geez, Groose must be even more annoying at school than at home.

I was about to go to Groose's room, when the professor stopped me: "Medowlaria, I have a question."

"Um, yeah?" I hate that sentence.

"Last night Link and the headmaster came in late. Do you know what was going on? Do they have an idea, where Zelda might be?"

I stared at Owlan's golden gaze for a few moments, making up my mind: "They believe she's alive. But to be frank, I only heard part of the discussion and I was eavesdropping, so I don't think I should even say this. Why don't you ask the headmaster?"

He sighed: "The headmaster only tells me and Horwell so much. You however know everything anyway. Did something… Out of the normal happen last night?"

For a moment I found myself considering telling him of the voices, the pool of light and the statue. But I was also supicious. Since when did people COME to me for information? Usually I had to find them and tell them the facts, or just drop the information casually. This was… New.

"Something weird is going on in Skyloft." I said carefully, "Have you seen the pillar of green light in the south eastern sky? I saw it created, but I don't know how they did it. And also, yesterday was so filled with weird stuff… First the Octoroks pesting around the tournament grounds, then the howling of that master of winds or whoever almost knocks me off my bird, then there comes a gigantic tornado summoned by a androgynous lunatic and in final that huge pillar of light shines into the sky. So yeah, that was one weird day."

It wasn't until I saw Owlan's surprised expression that I noticed, I had mentioned a few things more than I should have.

Before he could ask anything, we heard a cry. I recognized the voice, it was Link's bird. I turned to the professor: "Professor Owlan, I gotta go! Something's wrong with Link!"

"How do you…" I was running toward the door before he could ask his question to the end. My senses were alert. I could hear Red's caws through the sky. He was… calling. Calling Link's name! I looked around for my bird and stopped running inches before the ledge.

I couldn't feel his presence.

Uncertainly I whistle called him.

But he didn't come.

Mom came into my room after knocking gently: "Medowlaria? The professors and the Knights are back."

"They didn't find him, did they." I whispered, watching her stressed expression. She shook her head silently. I stared at her for a few moments. She was obviously unsure, what I was about to do, judging her guarded expression. To be honest, for a moment, I didn't know either.

But then I got up with a start, grabbed my scarf and walked past my mom, out of the house. I needed air. I felt like I was suffocating in there!

Without really knowing, what I was doing, I started pacing around the island. My eyes scanned the sky thoroughly. I hadn't lied, when I'd told Owlan, that something weird was going on. And that was definitely true for this situation as well. I needed some space to breathe. Then I could concentrate on my bird's breath, his caws and his heartbeat and find out, where he was. I couldn't feel his presence, but I knew, just knew, that he was alive and out there.

But I was afraid he might be in some serious trouble!

With alert senses, I approached the grave yard. People didn't usually go there, so I had a big chance of being undisturbed for a while. My hands touched the old tree's bark gingerly, my eyes closed, blocking out the sound of the searching calls, the wind and the buzz of noise that surrounded me. I was looking for that one heartbeat, that I could hear even when he was on the other side of the sky, that one caw that can even wake me in the mornings.

"Where are you…" I whispered.

Suddenly I was knocked down.

It took me a few moments to realize, that there was a giant red bird on me, poking at my chest playfully.

"Red!" I hadn't even heard him coming, "What's wrong with you!"

I remembered his cry earlier that day and quickly scrambled to my feet: "What happened? Where is Link!"

He motioned me to climb on him, which I reluctantly did. Before I could do anything else but hold on for dear life, Red took off into the sky. He didn't say, where we were going, but I could tell. The green light pillar was coming closer and closer.

"What happened before?" I called over the loud wind. Other than with my bird, I wasn't that connected to Links loftwing. If I wanted to communicate with him, I had to talk over the noise.

Finally, I got an answer: _He fell beneath the clouds!_

I swear, my heart stopped for a moment: "He WHAT?!"

_He jumped._ the bird explained unhappily, _There, by the opening in the clouds, he jumped off and fell down!_

A few things went click as we flew over the opening in the sky. I only caught a brief glimpse of what was below and it was enough to make my pulse beat faster. There was a whole world down there! Zelda had been right!

Shaking with adrenalin, I calmed the bird: "Link's alright! He… he must have used his s-sailcloth! You can still feel him, right?"

_Yes._

I'll admit, that did calm me the most.

"Do you know, where my loftwing is?" I asked him, fearful.

He turned, so we where flying back toward Skyloft, before he answered: _You see the cloud barrier back there?_

"Yes."

_We think he got caught inside. Even we, the birds, cannot cut through the whirlwind. At night, the winds die down and we can escape and come home. But if he is in there, then you will have to wait till tomorrow._

"I understand…" I leaned forward, kissing his beak gently, "Thank you!"

We flew back into Skyloft in silence. Some guard had seen me fly in and within moments, people where asking me like crazy if I'd found my bird and why I was riding Link's loftwing and if I knew, where Link was anyway. I tried to answer the questions best I could and in the end it was professor Owlan who saved me, telling everyone that I needed a break. Once we were alone, he decided to walk me to the Academy.

"I talked to the headmaster." he explained cautiously, "He isn't mad at you." he added, seeing my expression.

"Shall I go check on my brother?" I mumbled.

Owlan smiled friendly: "That might be a good idea."

Groose was a mess. I've seen him down, like when his perfect pompadour gets messed up or when he fails exams, but this was just plain…

embarrassing.

He was seriously wailing like a little kid about how it was Link's fault, that Zelda was gone and that he had lost the tournament and so much more. I stopped listening after two minutes and left wordlessly. What a baby!

Professor Owlan was apparently waiting for me, right in front of the door. He smiled meekly when he saw my expression. It's weird, I don't think he smiles around anybody like me this much.

"No luck?" he asked.

"Nope. Like reasoning with Luv's baby!"

He chuckled: "That's an interesting comparison. Medowlaria, would you mind terribly, if I asked you something?"

"Um, no? Go ahead." We had left the Academy through the bottom door and where walking down the staircase.

He took a deep breath: "You seem to get along well with all of the sky's beasts. They listen to you and you know where they are. I cannot help but wonder, how you do that. I'm sure you know the rumors, that you can actually speak to the animals and they answer your call. But is that true?"

I looked at him for a few long moments before I answered: "Yes. And they respond to my words as well. But I daresay, we all have our connections to our guardians. It's not unusual for bird and Skyloftian to have a symbiotic relationship. That's also why the bird dies only weeks after his or her partner."

"I know, even though I'm impressed that you know such a fact." he looked toward the statue, "You are remarkable, Medowlaria. There is no one who can actually talk to his bird. Certainly, I can say something and my bird might respond. We've been companions for much longer than you are even alive. Yet I do not understand his exact words. Child, tell me! Can you understand what the loftwings say?"

I nodded. But then I felt a clash and a scream. I had heard quite some voices over the course of the past few days, and it reminded me faintly of the godly voices from last night. But this one was different: Louder, more painful to the ears…

Deadlier.

The tremors continued for at least ten minutes, but it felt more like a few hours. I couldn't move one bit and had curled up into a fetal position on the floor, clamping my ears shut until the threatening noises had ceased. When I regained consciousness, professor Owlan and Keet were there, talking in very hushed voices. The boys' hand was stroking my hair and I did wonder briefly, how I could have ignored that.

When they saw that I was opening my eyes, the professor immediately knelt before me: "Medowlaria! What in the name of Hylia just happened!"

"I… dunno…" I rubbed my head to clear my thoughts, "You… my ears are… better than others, I guess and… Just now… Did you really not hear anything? There was a blasting roar for crying out loud!"

They looked at each other. I knew the answer before they said it: "No, Medowlaria. There was nothing there!"


	9. Chapter 8

"Well screw that." I thought angrily, looking slightly up at Skyloft. Red had flown me to a little island between the roulette island and Skyloft, where I intended to wait until nightfall. Owlan hadn't exactly declared me crazy, but the overly careful way that he and Keet had treated me with had been SO annoying! Yes, I know, I semi-passed out to a noise they were convinced was in my head. Great luck.

Groaning I leaned back, lying unshielded under the open sky. What was wrong with me? Why did I hear these… Things? Nobody else seemed to be able to hear them, except for the birds. And, well, I was also hearing the birds talk, so yeah, I was a bit of a nutcase, wasn't I.

I lay there, simply listening to the sounds for a while. But then I got bored and began daydreaming of… well, Link. In my dream, we where side by side on this little island. It was night, so he was trapped here with me. We fondled each other and laughed and in the end, we cuddled together and fell asleep. Then we'd sleep in late and wouldn't rise till well after Midday. It was an innocent, childish dream. But it kept me occupied enough to forget the world around me until the sun had set.

The moment he cawed out to me, I was on my feet whistling loudly and waving my arms.

It was a weird, foggy nightfall, we couldn't see each other. I couldn't even see the clouds. But I felt him coming toward me and before I could stop myself, I had jumped off the ledge, falling free, and was caught out of the air gracefully. I think I cried happily. We flew through the skies for ages, talking about what had happened. He told me that that god on the other side was very worried about stuff going on below. I told him about what I had witnessed last night. We flew over the hole in the clouds a few times and at some point I told him, how much I'd missed him.

_So what now?_ he asked while we were heading home, _Do you want to continue like this?_

"Well, I can't really." I frowned, "Things are changing. Two of our people have disappeared from the sky and both of them are alive. That is not normal. If someone leaves the sky, it means he is dead. But now things have changed."

_You're sounding like you have put some thought into this._

My frown melted into a crooked smile: "I think… I think I need to talk to Owlan."

_Why? _

"I think Zelda is right. Gondo… crafting is not my thing. But I am very good with animals and birds and maybe I could learn some things from Owlan."

_So you want to change._ It wasn't a question.

I nodded: "Maybe."

The next few days passed without any big new happenings. Dad was shocked, mom delighted and Groose unfazed by the fact, that I was actually going to the Academy every day for a few hours, sitting through every lesson on animal care and biology I could get into. The headmaster had been stunned enough to let me into the senior classes as well, so now I was mildly busy. The only thing that made people give me weird side-glances, was the fact, that my bird refused to stay out. If I attended class. He would sit next to my desk, watching me take notes and occasionally rustle his feathers. But he kept surprising even the professors with the fact, that he didn't make a single sound.

Even though it was not my doing, I couldn't help but feel a little proud.

It was almost a week after his departure, my bird and me, we were walking/waddling out of the Academy into a light drizzle of rain. I had been planning to attempt to break through the cloud barrier today and see this "god" with my own eyes. But when we saw him, we froze to the spot. A certain young man with cerulean eyes was standing right before us.

And he was bleeding like hell!

"For the love of Hylia! Link!" I screeched and dropped my notebook on the floor, breaking into a run. He looked horrible. There was an array of something that looks terribly like sword wounds and slashes, that had torn his uniform. A particularly large stain of blood was on his right flank. I decided to ask questions later and skip to the more important part: "How much pain are you in!"

"Not much…" he mumbled, a little smirk on his lips, "I took a potion. Most of my wounds are scabbed already."

"Well, thank the goddess!" I frowned, "And don't you dare give me the: "Stop worrying about me, you're being annoying" BS, I've had it! You come into Skyloft pale as a ghost, your clothes ragged and stained with blood, anybody will go crazy!"

To my surprise, he held up a hand: "Medowlaria, I'm sorry, about saying that! And you should know that!"

"I… what?" I was too dumbfounded to do anything but stutter.

"Look, it's been the worst week of my life, I'm tired and my clothes have blood stains on them. But I still am honest enough to say, that I'm sorry, okay?"

I was a bit hurt, but my worry overtook that in the end: "To hell with that! Get inside and take a long, hot bath! Now give me that tunic and I'll wash it up and sew the holes."

"What are you talking about? I was going to give them to Mallara, she…" he began, laughing a bit. But I was not in the mood for jokes: "Give. me. those. clothes. now!"

I thought about what I had just said and quickly corrected myself: "Err, after you've changed into… something… else."

"It's okay, I got the message!"

So yeah, that's how I ended up washing and mending Links clothing (let me repeat: I WAS HOLDING HIS TUNIC WITH HIS SMELL, ON MY LAP!) He even allowed me to sit in his room for the sewing part while he first took a bath, then talked to the headmaster and then walked through the whole of Skyloft to tell everybody what Zelda was okay.

By the way, I still didn't know what had actually happened down there. But some things I could tell just from his clothing: They where covered in something that looked like pollen at first. But after a while I'd gathered, that they were spores! Also there were some cuts, that looked almost as though a wild animal had bitten into his clothes. Like when Mia bites someone, just is super big. Also there were really gross, green stains everywhere. I was very curious, what had caused that.

Maybe I could ask him. Maybe he could tell me, what was going on with Zelda.

Just after I had sewn the last holes, he entered. He was wearing his super-comfy looking sweat shirt again. When I smiled at him, he even smiled back: "Almost done?"

"Just finished." I replied.

He sat down on his bed (I was sitting at his desk, you perverts) and unbuckled his sword. At the sight of it I felt a little tingle on the back of my neck and gave him a slightly lopsided smile: "Link, that sword… Is there something… magical about it?"

He nodded: "In a way. Fi is the guardian of the blade and has been, um, following me around since I got the sword."

"Following you… That sounds a bit weird when you say it that way." I thought but managed to hold my tongue, "Can everybody see that… guardian of yours?"

He shrugged: "Think so. One moment: Fi?"

I looked at the sword expectantly. A gleaming orb of light blinded me for a mere moment, darting out of the hilt. But then, after it had died down, there was nothing there.

"What… what am I looking for?" I asked cautiously, obviously there was something there!

Link looked startled: "But… Medowlaria, Fi is right here! She's right next to me!"

In that moment, a voice started speaking. For a second I panicked, trying to figure out where it was coming from. The weird thing was, I didn't understand a thing it was saying!

My heart skipped a beat: I couldn't see or understand this guardian!

Wow, I'd never felt quite this stupid before!

After the unnaturally loud, intense and extremely monotone voice had silenced, the light orb reappeared and darted back into the sword. I gaped: "Okay, wow! That was one of the weirdest things I've seen all week!" And that included androgynous Tornado-man!

After probably a few hours Link had told me exactly what had happened, from beginning to end. Well, almost end. He was just telling me how he had finally found the puzzle key and was opening the oversized door to get through to Zelda. Apart from Fi, the old lady, the Kikwi and the "monsters", the surface was like a fascinating book to me: Filled with surprises and endless detail, just waiting to be explored. I briefly wondered, what sounds where down there, if there where more, or if some where louder. I refused to believe, that I was just imagining sounds where there were none. If the birds told me something, it was always correct. If someone was missing, I usually could tell, where they were. So, at the very least, I was not imagining everything that I heard!

"And behind that door was the weirdest guy I've ever seen, including your brother." we both grinned at that, "He is extremely dangerous and seems to be the guy who created that tornado."

I froze: "A guy in tights, red cloak, white appearance and make up? And he was babbling about needing Zelda for something?"

His expression was priceless: "How… you've met him?"

"'fraid so." I continued without thinking, "He was on one of the islands up here when he cast that tornado. I was right behind him but ran for it the moment I saw you guys fall. He stared at me, but I turned my back on him and flew off to get you out of the sky and…"

Crap.

I think I turned either a very deep shade of red or a very pale shade of white. But Link seemed unfazed. It took me a few moments to realize, that Gaepora had probably told him anyway.

Link told me about the spring and Fi's song. I was fascinated and made him tell me all about the fish in the water, the insects (I suggested he showed some from his collection to Strich, he'd love them) the gigantic tree and the teeny tiny birds (I'd been wrong about that speculation).

After he ran out of things to say, I asked very quietly: "Link, Zelda is going to be alright, correct?"

"And if I have to fight myself through the forests of Farore a thousand times to get her back, I will."

I stared at him, a fake smile plastered on my face. Why did I dare hope, that he might like me? Zelda was our friend, I shouldn't think such thoughts.

We talked a little bit about what had been going on in Skyloft. He even thought it was cool, that I was doing something for my education. But at some point he got tired and I left his room, wishing him sweet dreams.

Just outside the door, I ran into Fledge. He had obviously been flying, his hair was very ruffled.

"Oh, Medowlaria! Is… Link really back?" he asked excitedly.

I nodded grinning: "Yes. But he wanted to get some sleep now, so we'll have to wait till tomorrow to ask any more questions."

"Alright, th-thanks." he looked a bit flustered. I gave him a kind smile: "Has the rain cleared up?"

"Yes. Perfect flying weather. It's j-just a bit dark now." he explained, stuttering over a few words.

"Sounds fine to me." I stretched a bit, "If someone asks, I'm out flying."

He nodded: "Alright. But, um, Medowlaria?"

"Yeah?"

"Professor Owlan was looking for you. I think he wants to talk to you!"

-X-

That went faster than I had feared!

Next chapter might be a while, but for that, we will be meeting some bigass Whales! Please review!


	10. Chapter 9

I ended up flying after curfew. With permission. Go figure.

My bird didn't bother going anywhere after we landed on Pumpkin landing. He even would have waddled inside, but Kina didn't look all too amused over that. He was still kinda wet from the rain.

Pumm gave me the look, apparently he had just turned off his stove when I came in. But when I gave him Owlan's note, his expression lit up in an instant and he told me to take a seat while he cooked up a huge pot of soup. Kina brought me some soup and I got a chance to chat with Keet: "You off your flying bann?"

"Yeah. I still have a tight curfew for another week and I'm not that good at flying, so I don't think I'll strain the boundaries." he replied grinning at him in a knowing way before looking back at Kina's…

I'm not completing that sentence.

Thank goodness Kina herself saved me out of that situation just after I had finished my helping. She brought me to the back of the Lumpy pumpkin and handed me a big Kettle. According to the smell it contained a lot of very good smelling soup.

"Now don't worry about it getting cold, Father said that doesn't matter. But honestly, it is a bit early, isn't it? Usually it is not until in a few weeks that we make the offering. Now it isn't nearly enough!" she exclaimed, watching me struggle with the pot with a rather smug expression on her face.

I started walking out the back door: "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about. I just know that Owlan asked me to fly this… thing back to Skyloft, 'kay?"

"Alright." she looked out into the Sky, "My gosh, that's some terrible rain coming up there!"

"Yeah. The clouds'll be ripping open any moment now." I tried to balance the kettle in one hand, while using the other to motion at my bird, who had decided to settle down on the roof, "Hey! Slacker, get your backside over here! We're flying back!"

She frowned: "You don't have to insult him! It's not like he can actually understand what you're saying anyway!"

I gave her a long look, trying to decide, if it was worth making a scene or not. I compromised: "Look, Kina, you deal your bird they way she wants to be dealt, I deal my bird the way we always deal with each other. Okay? I don't need advice."

She blushed but before she could say anything else, my bird snatched the cettle out of my hand and flew off the ledge. I turned to face her: "See ya! Thanks for the soup, it is delicious!"

Then I ran and jumped after my bird. He caught me after a few blood chilling moments and we headed toward the main island.

_Medowlaria? What IS this stuff! _he suddenly complained into the silence. I heard a thunderclash near us and spurred him before answering: "It's called soup."

_It smells gross._ he grumbled and cawed, _And it's starting to rain again! _

"Since when is that a problem?" I smirked. We loved flying in the rain.

_Sine I'm stuck carrying pumpkin pulp and can't coordinate my flight! _

"Wait, what? You can't coordinate correctly?" I was slightly alarmed, "Are you going to be okay?"

_Only if the wind stays put!_

As if those sentences had attracted misfortune, we could see a lightning bolt hit on bamboo island and could hear a gust of wind heading our way. I think I almost panicked for a moment, but then I managed to regain my composure: "Okay, let's get into Skyloft NOW and you are sleeping in my bed-"

The wind hit us like a brick wall.

Now you must understand, both of us have had worse flying weather. I recognized that tornado that picked Zelda straight out of the sky not because I had read about tornados or something; I've been in one. Flying in bad weather is what I think of as our specialty. But… flying in a thunderstorm with a bird who can't fly correctly?

Terrible idea!

_Hold on!_ he cawed and started flying higher.

My heart skipped at least five beats: "What are you doing! The lightning will strike us the higher we go!"

_If we fly to low, we might be swept under Skyloft! _

"Well better that than fried!"

In the end the wind took care of that for us. We found ourselves being pushed down farther and farther. Once the rain entered the mix I stopped knowing where we were and clung to my bird for dear life. I can barely recall the continuous feeling of dropping and shifting toward the right and left and once even spinning in weird angles. And all the time the roaring of wind, random streaks of lightning flashing up in the rainy mist, water pouring on my face and everything just so… loud. It was really hellish, especially since I had no control at all. I thought I was going to die.

Then it stopped.

Terrified and soaked to the bones, I only dared blink for a few moments I was totally lost. All I could see was grey. I managed to unclench the crushing grip on my bird's feathers and sat up very slowly. I was in a bauble of grey, slowly turning clouds. Outside of them I could hear a thunderstorm, but it was dimmed, as if the dark mass would swallow the winds and their roaring whole.

There were islands in the heart of the bauble, but I couldn't tell which direction of the sky they lay in. The sun was completely swallowed by the clouds. My bird was soaring slowly, exhaustedly, heading for an island nearby. There was grass on it, even some flowers. We landed carefully. Once I had jumped off his back with shaking legs, he collapsed, wheezing. I whispered things into his ear, petting his beak. But I can't remember a thing I said. My hands were shaking so much, that in the end I gave up on trying to stroke his feathers and lay down next to him, trying to bring my freakish heartbeat back under control.

I still think I must have blacked out for a few moments there. When I regained consciousness, it was because of a very strong smell. It took a bit of blinking until I realized, that it was the pumpkin soup. My bird had somehow managed to carry it through the whole time. But in the landing, it had spilled all over the island. Those shoes still smell like pumpkin today.

I stood up slowly. My heartbeat was back to normal and I looked around curiously. Where were we? Where was this bauble? Had we been swept under the clouds and this was what it looked like down beneath?

In retrospect, that was a really stupid question. But give me a break, will ya? I hadn't seen the surface yet for real back then and since I thought I knew all the islands, it was my first shot.

I took a deep breath and formed my hands in a way, that my voice would carry as far as possible: "HELLO!? IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?! I NEED HELP!"

I think I had to wait for maybe a few seconds before I got a response. But it was different than I'd expected. It was a call for… my name.

_Medowlaria…_

Just that. No more no less. Uncertainly I started walking around the little island, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. It was triggering a memory, but I couldn't say what it was.

"Where are you?"

_What are you doing here? _ the same voice asked.

This time I got the chills: "I… I didn't mean to come here! It was the storm and, well, my terrible planning. We got swept here."

I swear I heard a chuckle: _You are not meant to be here, child. Not you, not with the offering, not here. _

"Well that must suck, cause I sure as hell am here." I responded before I could think. Stupid answer, but oh well. I think that was about when I realized, that I'd heard this voice in the choir of song just a week ago.

For a little while it was silent. I even started fearing I might have just imagined everything. But then I felt a presence. It was behind me, even behind my bird still. It was different than with that weird high-heels guy, not that… malicious. But the power was still grand enough to make me cringe. I whirled around.

And found myself facing the largest being I'd ever seen.

It was grand and seemed to swim in the air. It's eyes were watching me with a curious authority. Testing me. I couldn't see its tail, it was so large. The power, the sheer force of strength and wisdom, it towered above me, mightily and proud.

_You're a curious being. So small and fragile looking, yet stronger and mightier than one might think._

And before I knew it, I had bent my knees and was bowing before this being, that looked like a giant fish swimming in the sky.

-X-

This chapies a bit short, but still. Who can guess who that big fish guy is :D


	11. Chapter 10

The god-like being stared at me for a few moments before I heard a gentle chuckle: _You have a clear sight. Other than many others who have seen me and stood before me, you can sense my power and respect it._

I stayed on my knees, but I did look up at that: "Are you… some kind of god?"

Okay, I'm adding that to my list of stupid questions.

_No, I am merely the guardian of the sky._

Merely.

Her seriously said merely.

_The goddess Hylia appointed me this job. _

"That sounds…" like an honor? Like a nuisance? Like a big job? "Boring."

Me and my big mouth are going to kill me some day.

He looked stunned for a second. Then he broke into laughter. It was so incredibly loud, that I clasped my hand over my ears before I could stop myself.

_You have quite some courage, child. A lot more than most of your kind. _he chuckled, _Call me Levias. _

"Um… nice to meet you, I guess." I kicked myself internally for the lack of words, "You already know my name. Medowlaria from Skyloft. The only person who'd be stupid enough to fly around in this weather."

The amusement left his voice: _It was dangerous and foolish. You may be courageous and a dare devil, but forcing your bird out into the storm was simply stupid. You could have gotten both of you killed! _

I was not really rested enough to let Levias, or anyone for that matter, lecture me: "It was my mistake and I'm willing to take responsibility for it, but I won't have you tell me what to do and what not to. In fact, nobody gets to tell me that. It is my life and my decision."

_Courageous, but foolish and naïve. _Levias sounded even more displeased, _You would throw away your birds life just to do as you please. _

God/guardian or not, that was stretching the truth a bit too far. I pointed at my sleeping bird: "Who would have died, him or me? The two of us made the decision to try and deliver the soup safely even though it was raining. We both misjudged the power and speed of the storm. Had I been knocked off midair, I would have fallen to my death. But he could fly to shelter. Without me as his burden he can fly better and faster anyway! So don't you tell me that I'm toying with his life! If anything, I'm toying with mine!"

_You speak with great assurance. What if you flew into an obstacle and he got knocked out? You'd both die. Or what if you were attacked? _

I didn't respond fast enough, because that actually got me thinking. Not the first part, but the second. The weird man whom Link had fought (and whose name I still didn't know) was still apparent before my eyes. His devilish grin and power stricken, painted eyes… I wasn't sure how I could handle it, if he attacked us the way he had attacked Zelda and Link.

Levias seized the opportunity: _And that aside, doesn't the thought of dying scare you at all? You and your life have a meaning and were not placed in this world without reason. Don't throw that away! Don't you respect your life? _

That snapped me out of it: "Nope. Why should I? And anyway, an accident while flying sounds like a better death than growing old in Skyloft, marrying and having to take care of my parents." I raised a dramatic gesture, "And then when I'm old and withered and my own children have long giving birth to their children and I haven't flown in ages because of my poor old back, then I will peacefully fall asleep… miserable and angry that I threw my life away like that!"

I looked at Levias: "Not my idea of fun."

_You really are different. _he made a sound that reminded me of a sigh.

"Than who? My parents? My brother? Everybody else? Well yeah!"

Suddenly I was fed up with everything. My parents nagging, Groose being a pimp, Link loving another woman, me trying to be a functioning part of the community, my future, past, my abilities…

"Look, I'm trying okay? I can guess you see everything that happens over in Skyloft anyway, but apparently not this: I'm trying!" I stated, my eyes burning.

I know I must be sounding like a brainless bitch there, but I want you to understand: I'd been different all my life. It had started with my parents choosing my brother over me, my early rebellions, my life long fight for recognition, my bird not turning up until I was twelve, the things I could hear and understand… Now I was going to school, I was struggling to find recognition and tolerance. But it was just very hard. And Levias wasn't very helpful. I could feel something bubbling deep inside me that was short from exploding.

_Control your temper before the gods!_ Levias warned me, but I didn't listen. I didn't listen to anything.

If I had, I might have noticed the swelling sound all around me, that had electrified the air and was swimming thickly. The early messages of a grand magic.

"You will not tell me what to do!" I stated, a bit louder than necessary, "It doesn't make a difference anyway, what I do or try. I've had it! For the last time:"

The noise was starting to hurt my ears.

"I can-"

Levias was no longer facing me, which only made me raise my voice even more,

"decide-"

Energy. There was so much energy in and around me, pressing against my temples and making my hands burn,

"on my-"

Something weird was happening, it felt almost like I was loosing control over… something mighty.

"OWN!"

You can ask as much as you like, I still couldn't tell you what happened in that moment.

I can only remember a flash of light, being thrown back by a surge of energy and clasping my hands over my ears against the roaring sounds all around me. It was the song that I'd heard the other night, I could recognize that. Levias was singing (that's probably why his voice had sounded familiar) and as beautiful as it was, it was loud!

Everything was crashing down on me. For a moment of shock I'd regained a bit of control over… whatever it was. But stuck in this attack of sound and noise and emotions, I think I lost it.

I remember a bright light flashing up behind the clouds, a red one, that traveled across the sky, gleaming through the clouds. But a weird, frightening darkness had erupted around me and washed out the entire light around me. Merely the distant red spot shone, like a far away star, too far to reach, to pure to touch.

When the shadows disappeared just as suddenly as they had come, I was crouched on the little island, hands over my head, sobbing. My bird had woken up, probably through my screaming. But when I carefully peaked out between my fingers, I saw that Levias had disappeared.

Carefully, a bit wobbly, I stood up. My bird waddled over to me and nuzzled my neck gently. I stroked his wing feathers shakily.

"Wha- what just happened?" I muttered hoarsely. He looked at me, a tired, confused expression painted across his face. He shrugged and yawned: _Do you want to get out of here? Cause I do!_

I took a moment to answer, as my eyes scanned the environment. But Levias, who was a big fat… fish? and pretty hard to hide, was gone. After a little while, I turned back to face my bird: "Yeah. Mom and dad'll kill me."

_You never know._ my bird winked and flew off the ledge. I hesitated before jumping after him and watched him fly. A pang of guilt hit me. Was Levias right? Was I endangering my bird, foolish- and selfishly? After that explosion of… darkness, I just felt extremely drained. Maybe he had been right all along.

_Are you coming?_ he cried, calling me out of my thoughts. I didn't even answer, I just ran the few feet and threw myself into the air.

Suddenly I heard Levias voice, in that moment before I landed on my bird's back: _Would you care to come back soon? I will create an opening on the far side of the Thunderhead, this tornado of clouds, whenever I sense you coming. You are a magnificent person to speak with. _

Before I could answer anything, I clutched into my bird's feathers and we flew off toward a strange little hole, that had appeared in the clouds.


	12. Chapter 11

**Back in Skyloft I managed to brief the professor, apologize to my parents, learn that Link had left already (jackass) and that I had been missing for two days straight within at the most half an hour. Lovely. Professor Owlan had apparently appointed two knights to search for me right after the storm and was excited like a little child when I told him, that I'd met Levias. My parents made a huge fuss, but all in all, nothing had happened to neither me, nor them, so in the end nothing happened there. The fact that Link was gone pissed me off greatly, but then again, it was not my decision to make, when he left. Aside from that, a new, red light had broken through the clouds. So I could guess where he was heading.**

But how on earth I'd managed to be out for two days…? I still don't know.

In case you're wondering, I've been missing before for a lot longer than merely two days, so at first I didn't get it, why everyone had been so worried. But after a while it became apparent: The storm. It had hit Skyloft like a lightning might strike, completely without warning, dangerously and destructively. On the island itself, nothing could create much harm, the goddess (or so most believe) holds her hand over us and protects us from the weather. But since I'm known to be a dare devil, they actually thought something must have gone wrong. I was weirdly touched by they worries. But at the same time, it made me feel really stupid and childish.

After that half an hour of way too much information to handle, I managed to break into Zelda's room. I really needed to get away from everybody for a while. And since I have a second key, that was a more easy thing to do.

On her desk there were two little loftwing-statues, that I recognized as Link's handiwork. Like in a trance, I picked one of them up carefully and examined the sculpture. It was evenly cut and had been carved with great technique and care. I smiled. Link was such a lazy person, but he had a few hidden talents. Unlike me, he didn't show them off. He was subtle, calm and had this strong sense of right and wrong.

Speaking of wrong…

I collapsed on Zelda's bed, staring at the window for a very, very long time. Just staring, not seeing. I'd lost count of the days that had passed, since she had left Skyloft. But it felt like too long. Something was missing up here without her. Almost like a magical boundary that had been cut, a shield cracked or a façade broken. An essence of life and safeness was leaking off the island together with her and Link, even though I was the only one who seemed to feel it.

I remembered our childhood days, before she'd found her bird at the age of barely six. We had been friends, talking and laughing, running around Skyloft, when she was not playing with Link. I reached out my hand and imagined to once again close it around that one butterfly I've ever caught without a net. Zelda had been so upset, telling me that I had killed her (the insect) for no reason. I'd been confused and upset, seeing her starting to cry over something so small. I'd never known how much a little life could way until then.

Even today I might wonder: Had my life gone differently, if I hadn't killed that butterfly? If I'd never learned to value life and death? Maybe I'd had done other things, made other decisions. I probably would have been more careless with myself and my bird than I already was, not caring for his safety. And maybe I wouldn't have been able to win my own battle in the end.

But that's a story I'll tell you later.

For the moment I was laying there on my friend's bed, thinking about the past. I remembered the longing gazes Link and Zelda would exchange when they thought the other wasn't looking. I hadn't been able to handle his loving looks at someone else and so I'd tried to find a way to escape, hadn't I. Once I'd received my loftwing it had been easier, running away was no longer restricted to our tiny little island. We would fly as far as possible, but the looks never stopped. And the more I tried to run, the more it hurt to see them.

Groose's love for Zelda had finally set an end to our "friendship". I just pretended it had never been there. Sometimes I'd still feel the butterflies brittle wings crumble in my palm, the gentle snapping of the antenna and the silent scream of a dying life. But I tried to forget it had ever happened.

A single tear leaked from the corner of my eye. I couldn't believe I had really forgotten everything about that time. The day I had given Zelda the finished sail cloth, she had smiled, managing to make me feel awkward and stupid through only that. But now I thought of it with an element of shame. She had been thinking of the old times, when we had chased the clouds, toppled near cliffs and swum in the lake together, like our life would never change.

And I had ruined it! My jealousy had ruined my friendship with Zelda and Link with no farther problems. I almost felt like it was my fault, that they had been separated by some cruel game of fate by the goddesses hand. But I managed to kill that idea quickly. No matter how weird, strong, powerful or naïve I may be, I had nothing to do about the kidnapping of Zelda, neither with the trials to come that Link had to pass, in order to bring her back.

For that, I blame Zelda herself.

That night, I had the weirdest dream. I was not in Skyloft, neither in any other part of the sky I've ever seen. There were stones, growing higher than the waterfall, surrounding me in a red-illuminated, glowing heat. It built a cave, or a tunnel. I stood on some kind of platform, and I could tell something close to an overlarge snake-skeleton above my head, but the blurriness of the heat-sated air made it hard to see. Liquid fire filled everything and I couldn't get too near to it without fearing, that I might go up in flames.

I had the feeling like I wasn't alone, but it was not one of those nightmares, where you're being followed and know you could die any moment. It was subtle, lurking, but not going after me.

It was after Zelda.

She was alone, looking lost. Her ceremonial dress was ragged and dirty and she was desperately trying to escape something. I just stood there, watching for what felt like an eternity. Zelda seemed to be struggling against something. Almost like she was chained to the blazing hot ground. The hot air was making my breathing labored and painful and it seemed to have the same effect on her.

When finally I changed my curious gaze and walked a few hesitant steps toward her, I saw that she hadn't only been acting like she was chained: Thick metal hoops clung into each other and her to the spot. Shocked I saw up into her face. It was drenched in sweat, tears and dirt and her eyes were dilated and looked weirdly unfocused, as if she was deprived of water. I started to feel panic. Something was wrong, very wrong!

I tried to touch the chain, see if I could free her, but it was no use. The heat seared my hands from inches away. A loud curse escaped my lips.

That was when Zelda seemed to even take notice of my presence for the first time. She looked around in a confused, yet somewhat haunted matter: "H-hello? Link? Are you here?"

Suddenly she broke into sobs: "Link… Please come quickly, I'm scared! I'm so scared…"

Her voice broke, parched and brittle as it was from dehydration. I tried to call out, tell her everything would be fine.

"Link is on his way!" my lips formed. But my voice stayed silent. Frustrated I tried to scream, but it didn't work.

"Zelda!" I whispered, reaching out to her face, "Zelda it's me! Medowlaria! Please, don't be scared! It'll be… o-okay…!"

I loud, silent scream ripped from my throat the moment I touched her. She dissolved into a spray of golden triangles, much like that androgynous demon. Just that with him, it had been diamonds. I was thrown back, watching in panic as the room molt down into black nothingness. Scared I staggered to my feet, looking around into the pitch black.

"Zelda? Link?" I struggled for my voice to reach them, "Levias? Goddess Hylia? Where am I?"

I tried to convince myself, it was only a dream, a bad one. Nobody could hurt me, I would be okay. I just touched my chest, seeking to feel my rapid breath and calm it slowly and controlled. But when I touched my chest, I screamed in horror again. My fingers were dissolving! I was disappearing!

First it was only my hands, then my arms and feet. I couldn't even feel them anymore. It was like floating in water. A little light suddenly erupted in front of me. Instead of shooing the darkness away though, it seemed to make it eat me even faster. I tried to reach out to the light with all I had, wishing to clutch to it for dear life. But just before I could reach it, I recognized the form of the light. It was the same that Link's sword had inflicted when that invisible spirit had left it!

Suddenly my instincts made me turn on heel and run, staggering over my dissolving feet, breathing heavily through parched, heat dried lungs. Just get away!

That light was killing me!

But it was too late. The invisible hand that was wielding the sword had slashed it down, making a wave of judgmental, infinitely godly light burst from the blade, slicing into my back and through my chest, and making it dark.

I felt like I was being crushed in the palm of a giant mass of lightlessness.

Then I woke up, frozen rigid in my bed.

My loftwing was cuddling against me in its sleep. I could feel his heartbeat against my hands, just as hard and fast as mine.

-X-

Tadaa, a slightly shorter update this time! Medowlaria is finally remembering some things that will be important in near future. Who can guess, what her dream was about :D


	13. Chapter 12

_So in your dream, you couldn't see Link or Zelda?_ Levias summed it up. I nodded, stroking my loftwings beak. We had flown into here right the next morning. I didn't have classes today, so I could spend the whole day here, if I wanted to. The giant fishlike-being had explained to me, that I had been distraught of magic upon my first arrival, the reason why I'd fainted. I didn't really understand what that was supposed to mean. But he had shown great interest in my dream and turned out to be a very patient, interested listener.

"Yes. I think it must've been Link who killed me in that dream too." I replied with a frown, "The magic was so intense... And somehow I just knew it was him."

_And what was this place like, that you were in_? he questioned, curious.

I closed my eyes for a moment. The burning sensation tingled on my skin like a phantom pain: "The walls were like they'd grown from the stone. We were on a round platform, I stood in the middle of it. I think there was this... skeleton above my head. A long row of bones that lead across the ceiling. And then there was this... fire. It felt a bit like liquid fire, but it looked a lot like Gondo's metal when it comes out of the fire. You know, when it's ready to melt."

_I'm familiar with that. I believe you're describing lava._ Levias explained. I looked up, curiously: "La-va? What is that?"

_Molten stone. It doesn't exist up here in the sky, only on the surface. The room you were in is part of the sacred temple of Earth, one of the holy places of our goddess."_

"What? I was describing a place you know?" that was interesting.

He laughed: _I've never been there. But I believe you might have a power you've been unaware of till now: You can see things that are in different places._

"Like, you know, seeing the future?" I asked confused.

_No, not the future. But you say you where there with Zelda. Maybe you can also connect to Link, if you try?_

I laughed: "You're speaking in riddles."

_I'm not intending to. It's simple._ he looked up into the skies, _You can see what is happening beneath the clouds. You are probably bound to certain people, people who are near to your soul._

"Like Link." I started to understand, "Or Zelda." I added, remembering the part where I'd been crushed like a butterfly.

Suddenly a few more things came to mind: "Say, I have always been able to hear things. Hear better than anybody else. Sometimes someone might say something on the other end of Skyloft and I'll hear it."

_Maybe you just have blessed hearing._ Levias suggested, but I could feel that he was lying.

"I doubt that." I pointed at my bird, "I can hear him and understand what he says. We talk like person to person. And the same is true for any other bird."

He stayed silent. Finally he looked back down at me. I had to resist the urge to bend my knees under his powerful gaze. He was hiding something from me. Something important. My hands were shaking. Whatever it was, I was starting to doubt, that I really wanted to know.

_You should decide:_ Levias looked down at me majestically, _Either you leave now and come back tomorrow or sometime else when you've ceased you curiosity. Or you stay and drop the subject. I will not tell you any more._

I frowned again, but shrugged, pretending to not care: "Whatever. I'll stay. But you guys sure love to keep secrets from me."

He smirked: _You're a child of the goddess as well. You are the same as we._

I blinked: "I don't feel the same as the others."

I'd said it before I could stop myself. My face turned beet red. Great, now I sounded like a whiny bitch.

_Sounds like you're a teenager._ Levias voice was harsh, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. I grinned: "An angsty, childish teenager."

The next day Link returned, but I'd been out flying, doing a delivery-girl-chore for my parents who needed to pay a dept at the lumpy pumpkin. The only thing I noticed about his presence was the fact, that the skies had broken up in a yellow ray of light and I'd had to land my bird to prevent us from falling out of the sky when the heavens broke into song. I prayed that he'd never do something like that again. But when Fledge told me, that he'd come and gone in one brief moment. Believe me, that really made my day.

The next half a week he stayed under the clouds. I met Levias almost daily, talking about loads of stuff, but mostly birds and the surface. But I also had to tell him about my dreams.

The dream was reaccuring, but some things were different. I was following Zelda through different places, sometimes from very close, sometimes from a distance. And always I was invisible. And I couldn't wake up until I had died at Links hand. We were accompanied by a woman, whom I called the Shadow. She was almost invisible as she lead Zelda around the surface, climbing mountains and fighting her way through trails of sand. Yet she seemed to always keep a respectful distance, following her like a shadow.

But she would always become invisible to my eyes at some point and when I'd turn around, I'd see the sword and no matter how hard I tried to run, it always caught me.

Once I started screaming in my sleep and mom came in, laying a soothing arm over my shoulder and comforting me. It was kinda embarrassing to be cradled like a little child, but it was also really soothing.

I'd made a decision during one of the long flights across the sky. I wanted to go to the surface, together with Link. I wanted nothing as much as to wander under the clouds, looking up and feeling the rain and the sun and the life all around me, to hear the endless voices I could only dream of. But I didn't know when Link'd be back. And slowly, I was starting to get scared. Half a week isn't much, but it sure feels like an eternity, when it's the time that your beloved one is in life threatening danger.

Groose looked annoyed when I entered his room at the knight academy. I groaned inwardly but gave him the laundry with a little, forced smile: "Greetings from mom. She wants me to ask if you're done with moping."

"Shut up..."

"Same to you." I murmured and put down the shirt I was holding.

He looked up at me and my heart missed a beat. He looked terrible. His hair was loose and messed up and his eyes looked as if he'd been crying for weeks.

"Groose, are you okay?" I asked carfully and took the moment to look around in his room, "This place is a mess."

"Shut up."

"Brother..." I sat down on the bed next to him, "Zelda is alive. She's okay."

"But as long as that nitwit Link is the one saving her she won't be safe!" he raged. His hand had grabbed the shirt I had just folded and he threw it across the room. I staggered back. He was really upset.

"Groose, stop it!" I said in fear.

"Why him! Why is he allowed to play her hero and not me!"

"I don't know!" I yelled back, "But your yelling isn't helping!"

"You have no idea!" by now he was seriously raging, "You have no idea what it's like, when a person you love is in lethal danger!"

I snapped: "I do too! The person I love is the person who is _saving_ Zelda!"

It took me for ever to realize what I had just said. When I did, I blushed madly and clasped my hands in front of my mouth, eyes wide. Groose was so dumbfounded that he forgot why he'd gotten mad in the first place. For at least a minute we just stood there, staring at each other, my praying that he hadn't heard what I'd said.

But then he blurted: "You have a crush on LINK?!"

I groaned inwardly, but tried my best to regain my composure: "W-well DUH! You're pretty slow, if you've never noticed that!"

"Link is three years older than you!" he exclaimed exasperated. Ouch.

"Groose, I'm turning fifteen in a few days. That's two years age difference. And you're a year older than Zelda too!"

He laughed: "Yeah, but she's a woman! It's okay for a boy to have a crush on a younger girl!"

"Groose, may I inform you, that I'm AM a woman?!"

"But-but you're my sister!"

This was turning ludicrous.

"I don't have to listen to this nonsense!" I groaned, "I'm leaving now! But just for your information, this is my lovelife and you have nothing to tell me! You got that?"

Not waiting to hear his answer, I turned on my heel and ripped open the door, exiting his room.

I'd almost slammed the door closed, when I froze. Link was standing right in front of me, staring at me with the most precious expression.

He had heard everything.

"No." I whispered.

He didn't say anything. But his eyes told me everything.

I staggered back against the door, staring at him. This couldn't be happening. This must have been a terrible nightmare. I'd ruined everything. He would tell Zelda when she came back and then she would see me as a rival, destroying my chances to reawaken our friendship.

My vision was blurring with tears, the room tilting slightly. Link was right there in front of me. But for a moment he disappeared before my eyes. He just wasn't there. And I so wished my eyes were just playing me a trick.

But then I saw something that made my breath hitch in panic. I could still see the sword, strapped to his back. And it was glowing, dangerously, illuminating the walls around me, shining on my face. My dream was starting to become prominent in my memory and I remembered how I had tried to run away. It hadn't worked. So I stood perfectly still, blinking away my tears. Finally Link started to reappear before my vision, as it cleared. It wasn't until I was looking into his cerulean blue eyes, that I tore past him and ran for the exit.


	14. Chapter 13

**-X-**

**Warning!**

This Chapter contains violence, blood and, I might get sued by PETA if I don't write this extra, a loftwing will be seriously mistreated! You have been warned! **The rating for this chapter is T**!

**You have been warned!**

**-X-**

My head was spinning and I couldn't hear anything over the pounding of my heart. I was in no shape for flying, with my shaky hands, so I headed toward the grave yard in long, rapid steps. My breath was shaky and I think there must have been tears flowing down my cheeks. Stupid, stupid, stupid Groose. Stupid, stupid, super stupid me! Why!

I couldn't think anything else. Anger, shame, burning shame, and ice cold fear of being rejected where torturing me, wiping out any thoughts and hopes and mostly, the tantalizing maybe's.

By the time I reached the graveyard I was gasping for air. If anybody had seen me storm through Skyloft, they had kindly ignored me or not seen my tears.

Slowly realization was sinking in: I knew that Link didn't care for me. Up till now, everything had been fine and I could watch him silently as the sister of his rival. Now I was a girl with a love interest in him. An unrequited love. The thought brought new tears to my eyes. My heart felt like it was bleeding. I could remember well, when the last time had been, that I'd broken down crying: It had been when that weird demon had shown up.

Now I crashed next to the tree and cried. Hard.

I recall that as one of the most stupid things I've done in my whole life. Crying over something so stupid as a crush... But as I sat there, not hearing anything over my pounding heartbeat, sobbing my heart out, I noticed the comforting silence around me. I leaned my head back and just listened. I was surrounded by a cloud of soundlessness, there was only me with my thoughts (which kinda sucked) my heartbeat and breath, the indicators, that I was alive.

Detached from the world I rested until my heartbeat had died down. But I still couldn't hear anything. It was like I'd gone deaf.

Lost in thought I didn't notice Link, until he touched my shoulder. I was so startled, I think I must have fallen on my back. At least the next thing I remember, was looking up at Link with very wide eyes. The sounds crashed down on my ears like thunder, making me groan.

I think Link misunderstood my groan. At least he did look rather hurt. Cursing internally I watched his expression very closely: "What?"

He frowned: "Are you alright?"

"Well, actually no!" it had slipped before I could help it and once I'd said it, I was on a roll, "I did NOT want you to know that, this is super embarrassing, I'm gonna kill Groose, my ears hurt and you didn't wait for me to come to Skyloft before you left the last time! So no, I'm NOT alright!"

He sighed, looking a bit guilty: "If it's any good, you shouldn't be so upset that I heard your words."

So he was not gonna pretend he hadn't heard a thing.

"Well, obviously I am." I rumbled, looking away into the sky. I'd never wanted to talk about my interests or my ideas on love.

"You shouldn't. Although I have to admit, I am a bit surprised." he smiled, "I'll be honest, I would've never guessed, that you might have a crush on... well, anybody for that matter."

I looked up surprised at his words: "Why? 'cause you always just saw me as Groose' little sister?"

He sighed, his expression as though he was looking for words: "Yes, in a way. It's really hard to watch someone grow up from being a child to being a young adult. I still see you as the small girl who sits up at the feet of the statue, waiting for her bird. It's just my mental image. I KNOW you're not that child anymore."

I could understand what he was saying, but I was too pissed and upset to calm down. If I wanted to say anything, I had to speak with my heart on my tongue: "I'm sorry to ruin your idea, but I already liked you way back then."

He laughed helplessly: "Why didn't you ever say a thing?"

"Why have you and Zelda been tip toeing around each other for the past, like sixteen years!?"

That made him grin, blushed: "You're not changing the subject."

"It's the same reason!" I retorted, feeling a pang of pain at his blushed expression.

"You're shy?"

"Well in the name of Hylia, looks like the great hero has gotten it right!"

His smile fell at that: "Fi would correct that to "the chosen", with Impa's addendum to "the wrong one"."

"Huh?" I looked puzzled. He sighed, but didn't answer.

He would tell me later, that the old lady had scolded him in the Temple of earth, where he had failed to rescue Zelda, that he was a failure. But for the moment he was not willing to admit that to me.

"Medowlaria, I really have to go." he looked around in an almost haunted matter, "I have an important question to ask someone on the surface."

"Why did you come up here if you have to leave right away?" I asked him carefully.

He frowned a bit again: "I... I wanted to show you something."

"Huh?"

He pulled it out.

It was a golden Lyre, a traditional instrument that I know well. A chill ran down my spine. That was Zelda's instrument.

"Medowlaria, you have an exceptional hearing." he started to explain, and I was already guessing, where this was going, "I don't have much time. But I need you to listen to this music for a moment and tell me, if there is a magic in it."

"Link, that's Zelda's lyre." I stuttered, but he cut me short: "Medowlaria, please."

After a moment of staring, I reached out to it and touched a chord. But then I retracted my hand: "You play it. I can't make music worth a rupee."

He grinned and put it in position. I watched his long, calloused fingers beginning to play and had to pull myself together. I closed my eyes and listened into the music. It seemed normal. Was there really magic in it? And if yes, how was I supposed to-

Wait a moment.

I opened my eyes and looked at the lyre. I was hearing something weird under the chords. No, it wasn't coming from the instrument. It was coming from...

"Levias!"

He stopped playing: "What?"

I looked to the west: "I-I have to go. Something's wrong."

"Medowlaria?" he extended his hand and held my wrist. Every single hair on my entire body stood straight in his gentle, but firm hold on my skin.

I ripped out of his grip: "Please Link! I'm sorry, we need to talk. We need to talk about a lot of things. But right now, I need to go and so do you! I'm sorry!"

His blue eyes burned into my soul. But then he turned away: "Alright."

I couldn't bear his sad, disappointed look, so I ran toward the ledge and without another word, I jumped and whistled for my bird. He caught me, but for the first time I could remember, flying didn't bring relaxation or joy. I just felt cold, lost and tired.

We hit ground on the rainbow landing. My bird was really nervous, which I felt as a very bad omen. But I swallowed down my fear and stood strong in the storm that was constant here in the thunderhead.

"Levias!" I took a deep breath and yelled out his name again, my voice cracking slightly, "LEVIAS!"

I got no answer.

_Medowlaria, we have to get out of here!_ my bird looked panicked.

I turned to face him: "No! What is going on here!?"

He looked wide: _Someone has broken into the skies! Something evil! _

A chill crept down my spine and I looked around carefully. If somebody was to sneak up on me, I would be helpless. My ears were useless, filled with a silent roar. Levias was raging!

I turned back around and saw how scared my bird was: _We have to lea- _

I still can't recall exactly what happened next. In the one moment I was still turning around and my bird was looking scared. In the next I just saw a little, flashing light shoot toward us. And then there was a gruel spaltter of blood and the most unnatural screech on earth tore at my battered ears, making me gasp.

Then I saw the knife, dug deep in my bird's wing, pinning him to the ground.

I felt a scream rippling at my throat but my breathlessness stole it from me. I staggered forward without thinking, reaching out to the dagger. But then there was a flash of gold and a searing burn electrocuted my entire body. A yelp escaped me and I fell backward.

Stunned I stared at the barrier that had appeared before me. I could feel a dark presence streaming off it, making me cringe.

"Well look at that. What a pleasant surprise."

I slowly looked around. Now I was sitting at the edge of the island with my back to a magical, burning barrier and in front of me a certain androgynous man. But when I saw his chocolate colored eyes, my breath hitched.

I was set back to the moment where I had first caught his eye. This malicious gaze framed by a venomous purple... I felt the threat, I knew I had walked straight into a trap.

A death trap.

Even though I couldn't see any weapons, I knew that one dagger he had lunged at my bird wasn't his only dagger. And he was spraying dark magic that prickled on my skin.

In his hand, he held a little ball of concentrated darkness. It felt weirdly... calming.

I could see it in his eyes. He was planning on hurting me.

A lot.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked calmly looking him straight in his gorgeous eyes.

He smirked at me and his unexpectedly long (OMG what WAS that thing!?) tongue licked across his lips: "You have quite some cheek. You're not related to that annoying skychild, are you!"

I don't know how I could guess, what that meant, but I knew right away: "No, I'm not Link's sister."

He laughed again: "So that is his name? I guess that annoying sword of his has mentioned it, but it keeps escaping my mind..."

"What is your name?" my heart was pounding almost as loudly as before, when Link found me.

His eyes gleamed: "My name? I am the fabulous lord of demons, Ghirahim! And who is this little girl I'm speaking with?"

I swallowed against my fear: "Medowlaria."

"Quite a long name..." he muttered dismissively.

"So is yours."

That made him laugh.

I'd never heard someone laugh like that. It was mesmerizing and different. Usually, people's laughter hurts my ears, because it is loud and always has a sharp edge to it. Ghirahim's laugh however lacked the sting. It felt natural, almost good to the ears. Somehow this strange, dangerous man was slowly starting to fascinate me.

"You're the little girl who saved the Skychild, aren't you." he followed up on his trail of thought, "Have you any idea where the spirit maiden is?"

"Who?" I asked blankly.

He shook his hand dismissively: "The holy, spirit maiden! The incarnate goddess! You must know who she is, you saw me steal her from the sky!"

Again, I just somehow knew. Just knew!

"Zelda." I whispered softly, "You're talking- Wait a moment, what?! She's the incarnate wha-"

The full realization took a moment, but you can't exactly blame me. My brain was processing a lot of information in very little time and this made things a bit harder to grasp than usually. Especially since I was noticing: The only way to stay alive, was to continue talking!

"Y-you mean you lost her?" I stumbled over my own words.

Something changed about his aura which almost made me curse. I'd said something wrong. Desperately wrong!

The only warning I got was the smallest of waves in the atmosphere, washing through my body in a little ripple of pain. Then the next thing I knew, a swarm of daggers had appeared out of thin air and was flying right at me. I couldn't even move. The slashing of my arms and my strangled cry of agony ripped through the thunderstorm.

"Lost her! That dog of the goddess has been _helping her!" _there was a change in his tongue. I understand now, that he spoke a different language, but in my hassle of adrenalin and pain I didn't even notice it.

"_You should know my power, little girl!" _he hissed, looking at my wounds while licking his lips in an almost lewd matter. I understood that gesture at the speed of lightning: This was turning him on!

I can't say I was turned on even the littlest bit! My arms had deep slashes in them and one of the blades had dug deep into my left hand. I was doing my best to not look at it and to ignore the pain. But it was not at all easy.

"_You think I d-don't feel your power?" _I hissed, grabbing the knife and pulling it out in one, sharp motion. I think I howled in pain.

Panting slightly, my sight blurry, I caught his eyes. He was gleaming so much sadistic enjoyment, that it made me shudder. But before I could gather another thought, I saw something, flying behind him in the cloud filled sky, that distracted me successfully from his torture and my plans to talk my way out of this alive to warn Link: "_By the Goddess, Levias! What did you DO to him!?" _


	15. Chapter 14

**-X- **

**Warning!**

Because I can't judge correctly, this chapter contains the following, much like the previous chapter: violence, blood, mistreating of animals and sadistic torture (but nothing extreme on that last point)

If this disturbs you, I think The Legend of Zelda might be the wrong game for you, even if you don't actually get to see blood.

Next chapter shouldn't be with that, so enjoy and if you don't like any of the above, please wait a little bit, I'll hurry with updating!

**-X-**

I could barely see him through my tears and the foggy rain that was drizzling over us. But his wails of pain and rage rung through the confusion and I could see the gruel tentacles that had sprouted from his body. I could see what Ghirahim had done right away.

He had infested him with a parasite!

"_You're going to KILL him!" _I hissed, my breathing more shallow than I would have thought possible without passing out.

This seemed to amuse him: "_I will not. But this is important as to weaken the seal on my master's prison." _

That caught my attention and I sipped my gaze away from the strangling sight of Levias: "_Your… master?" _

Something changed about his aura yet again. It was now almost… frightful: "_He is my master and my creator! But he is held imprisoned and I cannot touch the grounds where he resides. Just as I can't enter your home island." _

"_But why?"_ I stuttered, taken aback. I would have thought he could go anywhere!

He looked a bit thoughtful over that question, making an exxagerated, dramatic gesture to strengthen his words: "_Frankly my dear, you have caught me on that one. I have no idea. It must be that forsaken goddess of yours! She holds a protecting hand over everything she created, while she shuns us who are not."_

_"So… you're saying your master is… a god too?" _my head was spinning, "_You s-said he created you…" _

A cocky smile crept over his painted lips: _"You know nothing of the gods, do you." _

_"Huh?"_ how had that, in any level, been an answer?!

I was starting to get nervous. I was still bleeding and so was my bird. I was cornered by a sadistic lunatic and the endless fall beneath the clouds, none of which sounds like an appealing fate, does it?

"_Let me try to explain this in a matter appropriate to a little child as you are one;" _he pointed out into the skies, "_Gods, Medowlaria, are curious beings. They will create and destroy with a snap of their fingers, without caring for you. And they like it. If there is a god among them, who feels stronger, he or she will create minions, underlings, who will praise and worship their creator. And if they're even more powerful, they will make servants, such as that pitiful creature you can see flying back there in the sky. Pitiful, I may comment." _

_"So you're a- a servant." _I gather groggily looking at him carefully.

He laughs out loud at my words: _"I'm not just a servant, to me my master has trusted the most delicate trial of his resurrection!" _

"_I thought he was banned?" _

"_His soul has been brutally ripped from his body! To break the seal is the same as reviving him!"_ he exclaimed in an impatient matter. I caught myself missing the soothing sound of his laughter, which still scares me a bit.

"_Might I add I am the only servant my master created. It is the biggest honor I could possibly have!" _

I wanted to ask if that meant, that his master was weak, but my hand hurt enough as it was, thank you very much: "_Is Link… Hylia's servant?" _

_"I guess. But what the Skychild is or is not is none of my interest!" _he looked into my eyes, which sent a shiver down my spine, _"The goddess has taken a liking to weirdnesses and her servants are plenty. So many, that they stand in each others ways more than help!" _

I don't know why, but somehow that made me laugh. In the middle of a life-threatening situation with a blood leaking hand and a killer two feet away from me, stupid me starts laughing. I am not a very good survivor.

"_Do you find my tales amusing, or the goddess you believe in?"_ he snapped, obviously pouting. I couldn't help but grin. This man, despite my situation, was turning out to be someone I could talk to.

"_The latter."_ I replied, faintly noticing an echoing rumble in the thunderhead, but ignoring it, "_I had to remember when once Mia got locked in the school at night and went crazy. They all had the order to get that animal out of there, but they all got in each others ways, tripping and tumbling. It wasn't until Link finally woke up from the noise, shouted at everyone to get out of the way, and took care of her himself, that it worked out. So yeah, I have an entertaining mental image when it comes to that." _

Again, he seemed stunned and lost for words. But he quickly found back his attitude and rested one hand on his hip: "_That sounds like the most boring tale I've ever heard. And yet I find it mildly amusing. Who are you really, Medowlaria?" _

_"I don't know." _I had spoken before thinking (once again) but after I said it, I noticed that it was true. I really didn't know. And I was starting to believe, that that, what people had been telling me, wasn't true.

_"Something's different about me. But I don't know what."_ I stated quite honestly.

Suddenly I felt the island shake. Ghirahim looked over the ledge curiously and a wide, malicious grin spread over his face.

"_We will end this talk later. First, I want to hear how my master will react to his seal being released." _

_"But hasn't that happened before?" _I asked, remembering Link's words.

Ghirahim waved his hand dismissively: _"Of course it has! But this time, he will have more energy than ever before. This time the Goddess has been weakened! We might be able to hear something from up here. After all, we are hovering almost right above the sealed grounds!" _

I listened intensely. I could feel them, waves of magic, small but crippling, slashing into everything. But it wasn't until I heard a very dark, distant roar that I noticed Ghirahim's mistake: "_No. We're off east by a bit." _

I would have thought he'd be mad for my cheek, but instead he looked amused: _"How would you know that?" _

_"I can hear it." _was my simple reply. Then suddenly Levias roars doubled in velocity and my bird let out a high-pitched screech. I snapped out of my trance-like feeling and turned to face him quickly.

His wing wasn't bleeding anymore and it didn't look like he had lost much blood. But now he was close to hyperventilating and was shivering as in fear.

"_What's happening!" _I demanded, panicked. But he stared at me as though he hadn't heard. Was he in shock? I couldn't tell!

Desperate I whirled back around: "_Please, you must let me to him! He's hurt!" _

Suddenly the sadistic gleam in his eyes returned. He snapped his fingers and the next thing I knew, he was dissolving into diamonds and reappearing right in front of me, grabbing me by my injured hand. I froze rigid.

"_Maybe I will."_ he whispered in a matter, that made a chill run down my spine. The roaring was growing louder.

I couldn't stop my hand from shaking. His fingers where too close to the wound: _"What will it take!"_

I could tell what game he was playing. And my loftwing was starting to squirm against the dagger, ripping open his wounds anew.

_"Listen!"_ he hissed and the moment a wave of magic, followed by a deafening roar, pierced my body, he dug two of his gloved fingers straight into the hole in my hand.

I don't know who screamed louder; me, my bird, Levias or the Imprisoned below the clouds, roaring out into his new found freedom. Or if Ghirahim was the loudest, with his maniacal laugh of sadistic pleasure ringing in my ears.

My screams echoed long after the other sounds had passed. I had felt new ripples of magic, stating that Ghirahims master must have been resealed. But I couldn't stop screaming at the top of my lungs. Only after he finally retracted his fingers a bit I could start breathing again. I fell to my knees gasping for air. I don't know how I managed to scream for so long without taking a single breath.

Choking I blinked up at him, my vision swimming. His long, slender fingers still held my small, shaking, blood drenched hand. The manic grin seemed plastered to his face.

I didn't let him speak first: "_Let me… to my bird… please…" _

_"You are stronger than many others of your tribe." _suddenly he was kneeling right in front of me, obviously wanting to make this little, humiliating game go farther, "_You remind me more of the Skychild, Link as you call him, with every time you open your mouth." _

He leaned forward as though to kiss my hand: _"However there is one big difference." _

With that, he darted that insanely long tongue out and started licking at the blood on my palm. I couldn't move. The tongue was warm, rough and… greedy. I felt sick. He was lapping at my blood and he liked it!

After what felt like a torturing eternity he finally licked his lips and whispered hoarsely: _"You can't fight back!" _

He snapped his fingers and made a blade appear out of the nowhere. I flinched, every single muscle preparing to either run or fight. But where should I run to?

I was standing on a hovering island for the sake of Hylia!

_"This will be up to you!"_ he smirked and licked his lips. I could see the plans he was forming in his eyes, _"I am very angry at this moment, Medowlaria. The spirit maiden has found a place to hide where I can't find her! You cannot imagine how much I want to make someone bleed for this! I need to hear someone dying!" _

This someone was me.

_"But I know that you want to tell your precious Link everything you just learned from me!" _I looked shocked, _"Yes, I can tell that you're sweet on him! Such an obvious little thing you are!" _

"Took him long enough to figure it out." I thought but didn't say anything yet. What was he plotting.

_"You have the choice: Either you will fight me and I will kill you," _he grinned at my bird, swirling his dagger, _"-or you surrender and I can have my way until some of my anger is satisfied. I would promise to let you live, but I will be beating you within an inch of your life before I will leave! I will even leave you some of these ridiculous spores you people use to heal animals, so your bird can fly you back into Skyloft." _

I think my mouth stood ajar. Well, either that, or I had it clenched so tightly, that I tore a muscle. Having his way with me? He had to be joking! What was he going to do, rape me? Torture me? I didn't even want to know.

I only had mere moments until he would decide for me and I knew it. He wasn't a patient person and I could sense that already. Hectic, I glanced at my bird from the corner of my eye. He was staring at me, wide eyed, frightened.

_Don't do it!_ he was wheezing breathlessly, _Don't get yourself killed! _

But what other choice did I have.

I slowly looked back at him and decided swiftly. My left hand was injured, but my right, strong hand was fine. I could at least make a hell of a fight if I had to. And I really hate pain. I was not about to get raped of cut into ribbons.

_"I-if I die, will you let my bird go!" _I whispered. But I knew he could hear me.

_"Fine with me. I have no necessity for such a pitiful being."_ he shrugged, his eyes gleaming.

How could someone, who was keen to kill me, have such a soothing aura about him?

I took a deep, shaky breath: "Give me the dagger."

He blinked. Then he started laughing. I shuddered into the feeling, but took the jagged dagger out of his hand. I'd never held a weapon in my entire life. This was going to be entertaining.

"_Do me a favor and put up a bit of a fight. I like to play with my kill before I dispose of it!" _

That comparison made me uneasy, but at least I wasn't feeling much pain anymore. I was too focused.

Out of the blue, he summoned up a long, gracefully black saber and took a few steps back: "_I will hold back a bit until you are too tired to continue!" _

A shiver ran through my body, listening to him planning my death. I closed my eyes for a moment. Not to think, but to calm down. I wasn't dead yet. Maybe if I managed to fight him long enough, Levias might be able to regain control and disturb Ghirahim. Maybe somebody would come and save me.

Maybe I was going to die and nobody would ever know.

I swallowed down that last thought and shrugged. If that was the case, at least they'd eternally think I'd fallen out of the sky, like they all thought I would some day anyway. That would be a comforting thought.

I walked a bit away from the yellow barrier and looked Ghirahim in the eyes. At least, if they were the last thing I saw, I wouldn't be too upset.

I learned one thing about battling from this experience: The tension before it starts kills you.

I was shaking and just wanted to get this over with, but the self proclaimed lord of demons was watching me cautiously, smirking and awaiting. He wanted me to make the first move! Fat chance!

I don't know how or when, but we started circling around each other. I could feel my hand growing hot and the repeated the prayer for shadows, that just molt me into the ground until he was gone, chanted in my head. He just kept moving, watching me intensely. His aura was changing yet again. He was no longer entirely careless: He had become cautious and was ready to burst into attack any moment now.

Finally, he twitched. And I just ran forward and slashed out.

After that, I can barely recall a thing. Everything was in a haze of crashing metal on metal that made me hiss in agony every time our weapons crossed. He moved fast, but somehow, so did I. Either he was fighting extra slow to meet my hits, or I was moving so incredibly fast… Once I felt a white hot spur of pain on my left arm, another time on my right leg, but both times that only made me even more alert and it rose the pressure under my heart. It was beating so fast, I thought it would burst. A hot coil was twisting within me, begging to be released, but I didn't know what it was. But it felt powerful.

And it was the only thing that kept me going.

My arms were getting tired, which only made me fight more fiercely. Clinging to my own life with all I had left, I made a side step and lunged the blade straight at Ghirahim's heart. He turned out of the way, making me speed straight past him.

And right away I knew, that the battle was over.

I had become careless. The feeling when he disarmed me within less than a heartbeat was maddening and made the coil even tighter in fear. I fell to the ground, right at the ledge, and looked up. To my surprise there was a long trail of blood on his arm. Dizzy, I glanced at the dagger. I had hit him.

I had cut his skin.

A small triumphant grin crept over my tired face. He would never forget me. That wound would leave a scar for sure and he would always remember the child who fought back.

"_Tell your master who gave you that wound!"_ I called out to him, looking him in the eyes. They had darkened from bloodlust but also from pain. He held his sword high above his head. At first I didn't understand what he was doing. It looking almost comical, like a child holding up his sword in pride of winning a play battle. But the look in his eyes told me the truth.

This was the end.

To my surprise I suddenly felt anger boil up in me. It was leaking out of my body through every pore, streaming into the ground, like a liquid shadow that flared up with my shout: "NO!"

He never saw it coming.

The living shadows punched the sword out of his hand and threw him against his own barrier, that sizzled against his back, making him roar in pain and rage. My eyes were wide. Shaking I looked at the shady strings that surrounded me. Solid shadows. That was the only thing I knew to call them. They wrapped around my arms, torso and legs and slashed out, as if they were… Protecting me!

It clicked in my head, when I saw my fingers guide them. I didn't know what it was, but one thing was clear: I was making this happen!

Suddenly I saw something move in the corner of my eye. Ghirahim gasped out loud, which made me look at him. His eyes were wide and all color (except for the part that was painted on) had left his face. I turned to see what he was looking at.

And I can barely remember seeing tentacles and large fins coming right at me at highest speed.

Next thing I knew, the shadows had broken, leaving me too exhausted to stand. When Levias pushed me, I lost balance right away and found myself falling of the ledge.

For a moment I couldn't believe what was happening. Then I saw Ghirahims face appear at the ledge and blood-covered, gloved hand reaching out to me. But his fingers snatched into the air. I was out of his reach. His hair, ruffled by his sudden movement, revealed his wide eyes that spoke of true shock. I wondered: Would he have killed me?

Probably yes.

The last thing I saw of him in that moment was the diamond shaped double-marking under his right eye. Then I was falling farther and farther, the island no more than a distant mark in the sky. I turned to face the ground. If I was going to die like this, I wanted to at least see the surface before hand. That place of wonders where that man had come from. That place that had stolen my love from me.

But then I suddenly found myself in the clouds. And when I tried to breathe in, I choked on the water. Wheezing I tried desperately to get the moisture out of my lungs, but it was no use. I couldn't believe that I was drowning midair, but I was. My lungs burned like fire and I was petrified, rowing helplessly in the clouds. I could sense I was blacking out. Then, suddenly, the water was gone.

Choking, I coughed out the moisture and blinked away my near death-tears glancing at the surface.

I will never forget that moment. Not in my entire life.


	16. Chapter 15

When I woke up, I was drenched to say the least. The ice cold fabric of my clothes clung to my chest, making breathing hard. I was shaking, cold, miserable and aching. My ears were buzzing with sounds that I couldn't place. Groggy, I opened my eyes a little bit, just enough to let a raindrop through. A grey, cloud filled sky was high up there, above me. I was looking at the clouds from the surface.

I was alive.

Alive and freezing.

Carefully I moved my arms. Nothing broken here. My ribs felt fine and I could move my legs too. Even my head wasn't hurting too much. Slowly I sat up and looked around.

Believe me, if I hadn't been so cold and tired, I would've been running around the place like a maniac, or hidden under a rock. As it was, I drank in the images around me with an unsatisfiable thirst that scared even me. The leaves, the branches of the trees, they all were humming. I could feel the ground crawling of insects, the song of birds I was yet to see, that was echoing in my dreams, the whispering of the wind, the magic of life, and there was I, drinking them all.

I think I was crying.

Very slowly, I got to my feet, almost tripping over them in the process. I breathed in deeply, smelling the fresh air and the mild stench of composting leaves. My eyes were wide, but it was like I couldn't registrar a thing more that I saw. Almost as if I was overflowing with input of all my senses.

Somewhere far away, I could feel a gentle tugging, a call. But I couldn't understand what it was saying. Slowly it started to grow closer to the point where I could feel it right there, next to me.

No... behind me!

_I see someone's finally up. _

I whirled around and stared at her with very wide eyes. Today I know that she was a dragon and one of the servants Ghirahim had spoken of, but in that moment, I was totally overwhelmed. She reminded me of a graceful woman with an arrogant aura. Her eyes fascinated me, a lot like Ghirahim's. But her voice had that painful edge that made me cringe. My brain was speeding. Was she a friend or a foe?

"H-how did I survive... that fall..." I was mumbling like a Fledge. She chuckled: "Oh dear me, you heard me talking to myself just now? I didn't want to startle you. My name is Faron."

I was dumbfounded. Something had changed about her voice. It was more like the voices of people up in Skyloft.

Suddenly it clicked: "Oh. My. Goddess. Where you just speaking a different language!"

It wasn't question. But then I noticed something else: "I didn't ask for your name. I asked how I survived!"

I think I'm not a very thankful brat to save.

She huffed, glowering at me: "My, aren't you a joyful little creature! I managed to catch you with a tentacle of water before you smashed on the rock! You're welcome!"

"I-" I stopped myself in the last moment and forced myself to smile and give a little bow of gratitude, "I-I'm sorry. I owe you my life!"

"I wouldn't say that, I am rather hungry at the moment!" she rumbled. I could sense it was only part joke, but took my chances and smiled: "I am Medowlaria, a citizen of Skyloft."

"I know. Levias told me." she sniffed. I frowned slowly recalling the scene with Ghirahim. My body passed a shiver, remembering his lusty gaze resting on me.

"He almost killed me..." I whispered, touching my wounded left hand. It had stopped bleeding but the phantom feeling of his tongue snaking over the skin made me gasp in remembrance.

I think Faron misunderstood that sentence: "Levias didn't want to endanger your life. He was trying to save you. He lost control to that gristly creature of darkness."

"How would you know? Can you talk to each other over all this distance?"

"Yes, in fact." her eyes started gleaming, "We are deities, appointed by the goddess Hylia herself."

I smiled carefully: "Levias has told me similar things."

"Well I wouldn't take his word on everything. He has no idea of what it is like down here on the surface." she sniffed.

Even though I was still rather dizzy, confused, my teeth chattering and there was the undisposed of threat of landing on the dragon's stomach, I caught myself analyzing her at the speed of my heartbeat. I had a ton of questions, and was starting to have an idea how I could get through.

"I-it must be difficult to be a deity. Doesn't it get boring?" I asked curiously, taking the chance to look around once more. I gathered that I was lying near a lake, judging the sound of flowing water.

She chuckled: "Boring? Oh so very, you have no idea."

"So..." I shuffled into a more comfortable sitting position, "What do you do to pass the time? Do you have some sort of cool job the Goddess appointed to you when you were created?"

…

I'm going to spare you the very long, snippy monologue I got to listen to, if that's okay with you.

Let's say it this way: She has WAY too much time on her hands, which I think might be really bad for people, no matter if Hylian, deity, demon or dragon,

And to skip to the important part. She told me something about a song of the goddess. I couldn't understand half of it. Sacred flames, that I remember. And something about "her little babies" she called tadstones (whatever the hell that is). But other than that... I think if you have too much time, and you really want to have your brains bored out to the point where you miss the important stuff, go ask her yourself (Link has informed me that it's similar to Fi if you ask her anything, just that her stuff is less boring and more totally unrelated and making no sense whatsoever)

Ahem, to return to the important stuff.

She ran out of things to say at some point and instead told me that there are other dragon deities, which caught my attention: "Really? What are their names?"

"Well there is Eldin and Lanayru. However, I haven't heard of Lanayru in... a very long time."

Something about the way she said that sent shivers down my spine: "What do you mean?"

Her eyes stopped looking fierce. Instead she seemed... Sad: "Child, you don't understand. We believe he has passed away."

I paled: "He... he died? But how can that be?"

"He was the eldest of us three." Faron sighed heavily, "We do not speak to each other much, but I the last I heard he was ill. It would not surprise me if death has found him."

Wow. That sucked.

"I thought deities were... well, immortal." I murmured more to myself than anything else, looking rather down. Faron sighed dramatically.

"I don't know. But to be honest, I pray that I'm mistaken. I would do a lot to find out about what is going on with my brothers. I miss hearing about them."

Suddenly I had an idea. I looked up at Faron, a bit unsure if I should speak my thoughts out loud. So I started with something else that I was dying to ask: "I know that something is different about me. Something that sets me aside from the rest. Do you have any idea at all, what that is?"

She looked surprised to say the least, then thoughtful: "Hm, you do act curiously, but then again, what would I know? I know the Kiew, the Parella and have faced a number of monsters, but none of them are anything like you. You are a lot fresher and have quite a nerve."

I still don't know if that was a compliment or not.

I guess I looked rather deflated, cause she came up with something else: "But I think Lanayru might be able to help you!"

"How would he be able to do that?" I muttered, looking a bit confused.

"As I said, he has been on the surface the longest. If he is well, he might be able to tell you more. And if not, maybe you could come back and tell me the news." she smirked, "In that case, we would probably still find a way."

I thought about that for a moment: "You... are you asking me to cross the surface on the search for some information that MIGHT still be there?"

"Something like that, yes." she smiled a bit more kindly.

I took a moment to think about that (I know, I should seriously do that more often).

"Faron, do you know what was going on, why I fell?" I asked suddenly.

She looked thoughtful: "I believe you were in a fight with a monster. Levias wanted to help you and accidentally pushed you down."

"It wasn't a monster. It was the lord of the monsters." I caught her eye, "His name is Ghirahim. He is after Zelda."

"Who is that?"

"The..." what had he called her? "The incarnate goddess."

Her eyes glinted: "Very well. If I should encounter him, I will know how to deal with him!"

"No! You can't just expect to win in a fight! He is really, really strong!" I said quickly. But at the back of my head I was remembering the moment when I had fallen.

He had tried to save me.

Suddenly, Faron spoke up: "Have you come up with an idea, how you want to get back up into the sky?"

That dumbfounded me thoroughly: "Um... no. Actually, now that you say it..."

She frowned: "I do not know of a way to bring you back up. I've never had anyone fall here and survive, I never see them in time."

"But with me, Levias had warned you?"

"Exactly."

I wondered briefly how Link got back up, but disposed of that thought. There was probably some cool trick you learned when the Goddess chose you or something. But the only other person I knew who could travel between the surface and the sky was...

Ghirahim.

Well shucks.

-X-

God! I'm sorry about that short, extremely crappy chapter I'd given you guys! I tweeked it a bit and changed some things so it makes any sense at all! I will never write when I feel sick again!


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

While I was resting at the side of the lake deep in the night, I heard something. At first I thought it was one of the many insects crawling around, making chirping, rumbling, shuffling and humming sounds. But there was something off.

Slowly, to not wake up the cute Parella, I got up and walked toward the climbing. The noise came from way back there, on the far side of the forest above. It was a very sweet voice. that reminded me of Zelda. My heart leapt. Maybe it was her? Could it be, that she was here? The memory of her sweaty, exhausted face from my dreams was suddenly very vivid. I got scared.

Faron had showed me a hidden path that lead straight up into the forest. All day I had stayed down there in the safety of the dragon. But now my interest was sparked. Zeldas voice resonated in my ear as I climbed the steep walls, clawing into the stone as to not fall back down. It felt cold and breakable under my hands and the searing pain in my left palm made it very hard to hold on. Even with that I kept going. The voice was summoning.

When I saw the stars appear at the top of the tunnel I felt myself sigh in relief. I hated being stuck and feeling weak. Whispering wind caught my hair and seemed to brush off the burning pain. I crawled into freedom with closed eyes.

The giant tree above me was moving gently and the nature around me seemed to vibrate. It was so intense that I didn't dare open my eyes. I just followed my ears. The cold grass stroked my feet and once I even felt a threatening being grunting its way past me, without noticing my presence. It was as if I'd become one with the shadows.

My hearing lead the way farther and farther away from Faron. Once I slipped down a high trail, another time I almost ran into a tree. But I still didn't stop. It was not until the humming was coming from only five feet away, that I opened my eyes to see.

A building, reaching high into the sky, stood before me. It looked a bit like a ruin, in any case it was very old. The brick was a material I'd never seen and the plants had rooted deep into the façade, cracking the material to the worst. From within this palace came the summoning hum.

Standing there my senses finally caught up with me. What if this was a trap? Too many people knew about my sensitive ears. The sounds only reminded me of Zelda, that didn't mean it was her.

"Who is there?" the voice startled me so badly that I screeched. Preparing for an attack, I jumped backwards and protected my head with my hand. But nothing came. Blinking I looked up. There was an ancient woman standing before me. Her appearance was wavering, in some moments she molt completely into the background. A long strand of hair, curled into a spiraled knot, was swaying back and forth in time with my heartbeat.

I croaked: "Med-Medowlaria. I-I'm from Skyloft but I f-fell."

She watched me from the shadows of her hoodie so I couldn't see her eyes. Something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When she smiled though, I felt a chill of understanding run through my body.

I was talking to a ghost.

Not that I'd ever met a ghost, mind you, there are no such things in Skyloft. But somehow I just knew. A bit like with Faron or Levias, where I just knew, that they were something special. This woman was extremely powerful. But I could only see the weak shell.

She smiled at my fear and talked soothingly: "I am the guardian of the goddess. Just like you I can hear the deities speak but unlike you I am not a child of the sky."

"You were born here on the surface." I gathered. The question was more, when?

"No." she responded with a mysterious smile, "I was not born. I was created."

"A-a servant of Hylia?" a asked, preparing to run for my life. There was no way I could fight now. I mean, there was a damned hole in my hand for Hylias sake!

She chuckled: "Of course. But more interestingly, why did you come here?"

I swallowed down my fear and responded blankly: "I fell."

"Into Farons hands I might add. Why did you come here to the Sealed grounds?" she responded with a grin.

I didn't know what to say: "W-well, there was… there was this humming. I just was curious…"

"You could hear my humming?" the ghost woman responded. I nodded. She watched me curiously for a few moments, making me nervous. But then she smiled again: "Well, I guess now that you've seen who was humming, you can go back to Faron."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" I blurted before I could stop myself. But she just laughed: "It is late. You should get some sleep."

"What are you guarding in there?" I responded stubbornly. But she just shook her head.

"There is no use in telling you that. You are better off if you stay away from here."

I didn't comment, that that had sounded like an open invitation to investigate. This Granny seemed to me a nice person, I didn't want to ruin it. With a shaky thank you and good night I turned to walk away. But when I looked back, she had disappeared without a trace.

Suddenly I palmed my face. I hadn't asked her name! How rude was that! Sighing I looked up to the sky. Somewhere up there was my family and my bird. I looked around. Somewhere here where Link and Zelda. This was a place full of curious, face and nameless things. If only I had the time to find them all and hear their voices before I found a way home.

The thought ignited me. Now that I thought about it, I had the time. Nobody here had anything to say to me. I was free to decide what to do and what not to. I could simply do as I pleased, a thought that made my heart skip a beat.

Hastily I looked back into the woods. Ignoring the fact that I had no clue whatsoever how to get back to Faron, there was no reason to go back tonight. I could find the way tomorrow morning. For now I should look around and do, what I had already dreamed about when Zelda had told me about the surface.

I wanted to hear everything.

My feet carried me for merely a few steps before I lay down on the cold floor and just listened into the quiet breathing of the night. There was a silent groan, far away, resonating through the stone. The song of night insects was carried over the wind and a very quiet drizzle of something like sand drifted toward me. The voice of the old woman was silent now, it was like she had never existed. It was difficult to hear some things, while others, like the grunting of monsters, rung in my ears loudly.

From far, far above, I thought I heard mother calling my name. But that was probably just my imagination.

All of a sudden I heard an angry roar. Startled my eyes snapped open and I struggled to my feet. That was Farons voice. Stumbling over the forest ground, I witnessed her words and the responses spoken in a tongue, that was very familiar to me. I froze for a moment.

Ghirahim.

"_She is dead you fool!"_ the mighty water dragon roared, _"You killed her by throwing her off the landing!" _

_"Silence!"_ he snapped maliciously. I cowered behind a bush, praying they didn't find me.

His voice was strained with anger: "_I can sense your lying! She is right here. I can feel her!" _

_"Your sense is tainted with your masters darkness!" _she spat.

Suddenly something touched my thigh. I almost screamed. But then I saw a little man with a big bud on his back. Faron had described the Kikwi to me so I recognized him. He had big eyes and a squeaky voice that hurt the ears: "Little miss, you must come with us!"

"Why?" I whispered breathlessly. To my surprise, I could suddenly see three others just like him, hiding in the bushes and watching my fearfully. It hurt my heart to see, that they were afraid of me.

"_Hand over the girl now!"_

The brave little one said: " It is not safe for you here. The wise woman told us to fetch you, since you walked away from the sealed grounds."

So they could see her too.

Swallowing back fear, I crawled after them. They lead the way into a small tunnel that probably crossed through the entire mountain.

"_What do you want of her!" _

My hand hurt terribly from the dust that got into the hole, but I was to scared to care much.

"_I see you have no interest in helping me."_ a distant snap followed by a small ripple of magic, "_Get her!" _

I had to bite my knuckle to not scream. Farons cries of rage and pain made my ears ring so badly I felt I might faint. One of the Kikwis looked very worried. It occurred to me, that they couldn't hear a thing.

Struggling I crept onward, farther and farther away from Farons agony.

The path ended abruptly, spitting us out right in front of the temple. My knees where shaking terribly as I stood up. Farons cries had faded to whimpers of hate and anger. Ghirahims voice was silent. I didn't know where he was.

The Kikwis looked up at me: "You are safe here. We will go back home now. Be careful!"

I stuttered like an idiot: "Y-yes. Th-thank you."

They waddled back into the hole. But right behind them a sheet of moss fell in front of it, so you wouldn't find it, if you weren't searching. Then I faced the temple again. The women had summoned me here, so I should probably go inside, right? Uncertainly, I approached the door and stretched out a hand to open it.

Before I knew what was happening, the door had been ripped open and I stood there, staring at a pair of bright, yellow eyes I knew just too well. My jaw dropped: "Groose!?"

He stood there, stunned, unable to move. Finally he caught his breath: "Granny! Why on earth is SHE here!"

"Nice to see you too." I muttered, feeling dizzy. This was a bit late for shocks.

The old woman (that's how you know we're brother and sister, we both instinctively called her Granny) appeared behind him, walking slowly. She was flickering before my eyes, just as before.

"I see the Kikwi found you in time." she said, "That terrible man, Ghirahim, is searching for you."

The statement came bluntly again: "So I've noticed."

Groose managed to stutter: "B-but how did you… Did Link fly you down here?!"

"No you idiot, I-!" I stopped midtracks, "Wait, how did YOU get down here?"

It was the old woman who answered that question: "He jumped after the Chosen and almost caused him to crash. But he managed to save both himself and his friend."

The word friend made me cough: "So with other words you almost killed Link. You know, Groose, maybe I shouldn't tell you about my future crushes, if this is what you do with them!"

His face brightened up for a moment at the joke, but then it fell like a rock. He was still rather ashamed of himself for his overreaction, so much was obvious. But then his eyes sparked: "Med! What in the name of Hylia happened to your hand!"

He grabbed my left arm and looked at the wound in horror. Seeing the swollen, angry red flesh made me feel sick but I pulled myself together. He was shocked enough as it was and didn't really need to know, how much it hurt: "I-it's okay. Long sotry."

Granny made a little "ahem".

"We should really move this discussion inside." the old woman explained, "Ghirahim cannot enter in here as long as the godly power is split. You are not safe where you stand."

"Sounds like a good plan." I muttered grinning. Groose grabbed my hand and started pulling me in.

However, the moment I was about to cross the threshold, I was thrown backward. Stumbling I somehow managed to not land on my bum. My eyes however were wide: "What the-"

Even though I couldn't see her eyes, I felt Granny's stare. Before either I or Groose could react, she held up the long pole in her hand and hissed something in a language I didn't know. The door that she had readily opened for me moments ago was slammed shut.

I was speechless. What had just happened? Why had I been thrown back out?

A tickle ran down my spine. Something was coming right toward me. Out of intuition I spun around.

Diamonds exploded in my view, exposing Ghirahim with his malicious grin. He caught my eyes in his chocolate brown gaze. My body started shaking. There was an element of mania in his face that I'd seen last when he had raised his sword for the final blow. Phantompain ghosted over my chest, as if I could feel the ice cold blade impale my body for real this time. In instinct I hid the injured hand behind my back.

_"Good evening, wandering one!"_ he chuckled, "_I had been looking for you!" _

_"What did you do to Faron."_ my voice was hoarse, different than I knew it.

He sparked with anger: _"What is this with you children of the sky and missing manners?" _

_"Sorry, I'm finding it hard to concentrate on the etiquette right now." _for a moment I thought I felt a piercing blade against my throat. Death felt near again.

_"Faron is not dead, if that is what you're asking. I just had to let out some anger." _his eyes darkened impossibly, "_A certain little girl taught me, that killing is not always as satisfying as torture." _

_"Are you looking for that little girl to kill her or to thank her?" _my tone of voice was edging on mocking.

His hand suddenly touched me left arm and started to snake downward: _"Actually, I am looking for her to give her a warning."_

_"Why is that?" _

He took my hand into his. My body went rigid in fear. He lifted it up to his lips and kissed it: _"Medowlaria, you gave me a taste of your power. If you turn it against me again, I will have to kill you. But!" _he interrupted me with a smirk,_ "But, I know how you can become stronger. Stronger even than me." _

_"Lovely. No_." I hissed through hitched breaths. He looked into my eyes and leaned down to me, his right hand still firmly clasped around my wounded limb.

_"You might not have a choice. I know what you want" _

_"I w-would really like to just go home to my bird." _

His laugh was pure malice_: "You are so naïve it is almost painful! Little girl, nobody can touch the shadows and not want more!" _

_"Please, leave me alone!" _I didn't know why, but I was starting to sob looking away , _"Please! I don't want to get hurt any more! I'd rather give up the surface!" _

_"The surface is not yours to give!"_ he mocked, "_And besides, I know your dreams. You want nothing more,"_ he chuckled_, "but to hear!" _

My face was burning in senseless shame. I refused to look at him, to let him see how deeply his words were reaching. The usual air of "I don't give a damn" that usually blessed my attitude, had evaporated. He was saying things, that touched me. How did he know, that I wanted to hear? What did he mean when he talked about shadows? Why did he know me?

And most of all, why was I fighting myself to not look into his beautiful, mesmerizing eyes?

_"I will make you strong."_ he promised, all mock gone, "_You have talents of the most powerful kind. You could help me!" _

_"You are trying to kill the man I love!" _my words were shaky. He fell silent, which surprised me. Sure, I'd startled him in the two times we had met before, but never like this.

"_Medowlaria, is that what holds you here?" _his voice was suddenly hoarse and brittle. It startled me so much, that I looked up. His face was inches from mine. All of the malice, the blood thirst, everything that scared me, it had molten from his eyes. They were suddenly soft, almost caring. Even when I searched for a hint of pity, there was nothing there.

Breathlessly I mumbled an answer: _"I… I don't know." _

He caught onto that with this new, quiet voice: "_Then come with me. It can't hurt, can it? What should go wrong" _

I couldn't answer right away. My gaze was drinking in his handsome features. My heart was still beating painfully fast, but the feeling of anxiety was slowly dying. Instead there was warmth. A fulfilling warmth, nudging me towards him.

_"I can't." _I whispered, "_I'm sorry. But I can't stand the thought of hurting my friends." _

_"You may be able to help Link with your powers." _he suggested.

I automatically shook my head: _"He doesn't want my help. He can't stand me." _

_"Then what holds you here?"_

The eyes were drawing me in slowly.

Tears dripped over my cheeks: _"I can't hurt people anymore." _

Crumbling wings in my palm.

_"Think about yourself." _his breath was hot, _"What do you want?" _

My vision circling, only his dark eyes, full of tenderness.

_"I want…" _

The double diamond.

_"Think about it."_

I can't fly away anymore.

His lips stole my first kiss in the darkness of the night.

When he stepped back, the shade of lust was clouding his eyes, making them sparkle in the starlight. My mouth burnt, shaking.

He smiled, but it was without malice or mock. It was only a smile. His voice was husky: _"We will meet again soon." _

Then he disappeared into a cloud of diamonds.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 **

The holy water felt warm, carassing my burning palm. As instructed I only held my left hand into the basin for a few moments before I pulled back and had a look. The irritation had died down together with the angry, red swelling. Faron made me hold out my hand for her to have a look before she hummed happily and shooed me away.

Feeling a bit guilty I stepped back. I hadn't told her about meeting Ghirahim, let alone the kiss we had shared. I didn't think of it as stealth anymore, as I had in the moment of action. The soft feeling of lips against lips was indescribable and I couldn't attatch any negative feelings to it (Now I think I did that because I didn't want my first kiss to be terrible!) Besides, no matter how I twisted it, Faron had risked her life to protect me and I'd let him come that close to me. She would be rightfully furious.

"Will the water really help you?" I asked carefully. She was dreadfully grumpy.

"I doubt it." she replied bluntly, ""It's not enough. I need at least another bottle full to recover fully."

"But where would one find sacred water?"

Faron hesitated before answering: "In a temple. It is hidden in my reigns. I guess I'll just wait until the Chosen appears and make him look for it." she snorted, "Not that he'll mind."

Her comment stung, but I forced a smile and stooped down to look at the Parella. They were squeeking scaredly in their own tongue. I could understand some of it, it was not that different from the language of loftwings.

"_Excuse me_?" I interfered in their extremely flustered discussion, "_Can I ask you something?" _

The oldest of the Parella looked up at me with large eyes and fluted: "_You can speak our language! Not even mistress Faron can do that!"_

"_Do you know the forest well?"_ I asked slowly. It was hard to produce those sounds without a flute-formed mouth.

"_More or less. Why? Is there something you want to know?"_

I nodded, smiling encouragingly: "_Do you know where the temple is?" _

"_Yes, yes, yes!"_ they were all talking at the same time, sounding very excited. I waited patiently until the eldest squeaked: "_Quiet!_"

They all shut up at the same time. I had to laugh. They were really just too cute!

"_Our mistress guards the Ancient temple!" _he exclaimed proudly.

It was painfully obvious that he had no clue what that meant, but I guess he just thought it sounded cool.

"_Um, where is that temple?"_ I asked, almost saying "hole" instead of "temple". Man, I had to talk bird more often!

"_Back there, there is a passage that leads to a waterfall. The door is behind that fall" _

Okay, guide to how to move a waterfall: Step one, try to swim under it. Expected result: You almost drown under the current and the fish are watching you thinking: "Tsk, finless creatures"

Step two, hopelessly try to find a mechanism (since that always works in the stories) and fail.

Step three, yell senseless things at the waterfall.

I was pretty fed up by the stream of water at some point. I stood on the passage that leads to it, soaking wet and grumpy. How could anyone have had the ingenious idea to create a WATERFALL to protect sacred water? This was ludicrous.

I was starting to feel angry. A bottle's worth of water. If it really made such a difference to if Faron recovered or not, it was probably my stupid fault! After all, I had soaked my hand in her basin and definitely used the power of part of it up! There had to be a way!

"Come on!" I hissed clenching my hands to fists, "Why does it have to be so hard to help!"

Links dismissive expression came to mind. "No good deed goes unpunished." my know-it-all conscience muttered in my ear but I chose to ignore it. The quiet rage was starting to boil up. It had become a full on anger that was searing through my body, numbing my senses. Instead there came an increasing feeling of darkness. Black, soothing shadows that were effulging my consciousness started to feel real, rooting in my heart and seeping out of my body.

Live shadows veiled my appearance. I instinctively knew what to do with them, just as the last time they had appeared and saved my life from Ghirahim. My fingers lead them toward the water, streaming down into the basin.

"GO!" I snapped through ragged breaths of rage.

And that's step four: disregard of step one to three and just kick natures backside with black magic.

The waterfall parted slowly. Before I knew, what I was doing, I was walking toward the entrance. The steps I took felt shaky and I was sure I'd fall on the last few. But I managed, right before the waterfall closed.

And yes I know it makes me sound stupid, but I actually didn't notice that I'd just walked over water until I was standing on the platform, looking back.

Exhaustion hit me like a brick wall. My head started spinning and my hands felt as if they were being pulled down. Hissing I stumbled against a wall. The shadows… Ghirahim must have meant them when he had promised to make me stronger. They were still pooling around my feet, almost giving me a feeling of floating.

Slowly I turned to look down the stairway before me. I had taken a small vial the Parella owned. If I could fill it with that sacred water, maybe Faron would be in good enough shape to welcome Link (and in a good enough mood to not gobble him up!)

The soaked cloth of my tunic clung to my skin as I started my way down the stairs. The countless voices of monsters kept me alert. But what surprised me, something I hadn't been able to hear through the roaring waterfall, was the massive amounts of water beyond this point. How in the name of Hylia was I supposed to find the sacred water in all of that?

I gulped against the sinking feeling that this might have not been such a hot idea after all. But then I pulled myself together, took a few calming breaths, and walked into the golden temple.

Link disagrees, but this was the most incredible temple of them all. At least on the upper levels. Gold, green, red… the colors where mesmerizing. Sounds resonated like crazy. The monsters were really scary but I had a trick. In the night where Ghirahim had kissed me I'd closed my eyes and followed sounds. Nobody had been able to see me. The same seemed to be true in here.

But I'm not telling how often I ran into walls and fell in the water and got caught in those ridiculous snappy hands that try to drown you. The acoustics of that place are terrible!

Traveling alone in a closed space gives you a lot of (too much) time to think. Apart from deciding, that the sacred water was most likely to lie on the other end of the temple, I found myself remembering a lot.

In the first night I found a little corner that turned into a kind of floodgate. I could use the levers from the inside but the monsters couldn't reach me. If I curled in a corner the monster on the other side stopped shooting burning arrows at me, cause he could no longer see me, and I could finally catch up on the lost sleep. There, I relived my first flight in a memory. The gushing wind seemed so real that I even opened my eyes once to look around. But the air was still down there and didn't smell like spring. It was stale and lifeless.

Another night, that I slept on one of the higher floor platforms, my brain had me dream of Link and his reaction to my love. While stalking the water filled caverns, wishing I was a better swimmer, I couldn't stop feeling Ghirahims kiss burning on my lips (Man, that made it REALLY hard to sleep!). By the time I found the way down into the basement I was regretting having come here. The water was making weeping sounds. How could sacred water be found in a place like this? I had to find the way back if I couldn't get to the well soon.

Something that made me wonder was, that the zombie monsters (By Hylia where they GROSS!) didn't give a damn about me. I didn't even need to veil myself in magic. They kinda saw me and looked somewhere else. So either I was the smallest threat they'd ever seen and they didn't take me seriously (I was wet, tired, short and no weapon) or there was something else. Maybe because I didn't touch anything. I just wandered around like a ghost, looking but not touching anything but the bare walls and an occasional lever. But otherwise?

No treasure chests for me, thank you very much. And that long, white string was just screaming "TRAP!" at the top of its imaginary lungs. So no, I managed to stay out of trouble (Me? Staying out of trouble? Something's wrong about this picture…). It's probably weird but once I found the way down there I slept there for four days after each other. My tempo in which I traveled was minimal and it took me for ever. But in the end I managed to get to the big door mechanism.

Something interesting happened there. I could well see the lock, but I didn't need to find the key to it. It merely took a gentle touch and it let me through. After hearing Links tale a lot later I still wonder how I got through. Maybe it was the same way Ghirahim went in the end: That the key was merely an illusion, a deathly trap.

But there, beyond the door, I started hearing something a new sound. It is rare that I actually do not hear something until I'm that near to it. It's just that it might be too quiet for me to understand, what it is I'm hearing. It was a bit like the hissing of fast gushing water, but I wasn't too sure about that. Maybe it was a bit more like fire?

I entered the sacred chamber with a gasp of horror. A gigantic, lifeless statue stood spread and broken into its elements in the middle of the room. All thoughts of doubt, mostly regarding my hearing, where washed away. I had rarely heard something as silent as this room. Not silent as when I had cried over Link finding out about my feelings where all I had been able to hear for a moment had been my own noises. In here, I could hear everything that cam from beyond the walls just fine. But it felt almost as if the walls swallowed any sound made in the room.

Okay, you're probably asking yourself, what kind of noises should happen in an empty room. But the truth is, there is always sound. The heartbeat of insects and grubs in the walls and under the floor, the creaking of stone on mortar or wood aching of age, not to mention the fact that in most rooms there is some sort of moving air, and be it your own breath that you are hearing. This room was missing any of those sounds.

And that really crept me out.

Feeling very uneasy I searched for a door. But the big gate had, of course, closed behind me. It was magical, so that didn't surprise me. However there was another "door". It was a sealed passage. The emblem of the goddess Hylia stood glowing. Curious I walked toward it. The hissing sound was coming from right behind it. But when I touched the stone it burnt my palm.

Shocked I retreated and looked around. How could one get through? It was obviously meant to keep people from going through. Since I was looking for something sacred, which as far as I know means it's worth being hid at the end of a bloody temple such as this one, it might very well have been behind this door. So the real question was, how do I get through?

I checked the entire room, feeling hungry and tired, but there was nothing there. Merely a few pots stood spread around. Frustrated I stared at the statue. Link had told me about having defeated monsters in temples to get through to the final room. Slowly I was understanding, that I was looking for something that I really should have stayed out of. I couldn't kill anything! I'd only survived till here because of this weird thing of nobody being able to see me had let me go past all of those creatures (not to mention the zombies who didn't care for me).

Now what?

My idea came simultaneously to a weird feeling. It was like a buzzing in my ears, but all of a sudden I realized how blind I'd been. The statue. It had to be the element for trial.

This whole temple built on mazes and traps, symbolism and illusions. I would have bet my bird that most of the treasures where frauds or got you in trouble and that there was not a single room without a hint or a symbol of some sort. I didn't get most of them, but I still saw them. And this too was merely a riddle. If I got it, I could pass and get the water. Then Faron would be better.

Uncertainly I looked around. Until now I had searched for levers. But what kind of thing was I scanning the room for now? Knowing the nature of the temple a bit after spending a week in it, my first guess was "something very obvious". The more obvious the less we actually, consciously see it.

Slowly the buzzing was becoming insanely annoying. Beneath the monotone was a slight melody. It came from very far away though so I couldn't put my finger on it, what I was hearing. Struggling to concentrate I re-focused on the statue. It was broken into various parts. But was something really off about it? Like many things the broken edges seemed to be in a perfect harmony.

No, wait a moment.

I looked up to the head of the metal man. It was pure gold and showed a stony expression (reminded me a bit of Cawlin, when he wasn't bawling for once) but in the middle part there was a ridiculously large hole, almost like a tunnel. Hesitantly I stepped closer to take a peak inside. Nothing.

Somehow the music from far away urged me to keep going. So I raised a hand and started reaching into the hole. My fingertips where feeling the air, making me feel mighty foolish. But I trusted the feeling I had. If I didn't trust myself, who else was left?

When I touched something invisible, but soft and leaning, I didn't hesitate to grab it and pull. The object fell onto my feet before I realized what I was holding. It was a little, pulsating light. A magic spell must have made it invisible.

This little light was like the heart of the statue.

It started glowing stronger as I brought it to the door. There I laid it against the stone and gently pressed it in. Once it had dissolved my fingers where able to slip through. I felt really proud. Even without any help I had found my way through the temple.

Slightly impatient I went through. The hissing was growing louder and louder.

Just for your information, I was expecting to walk into some kind of place with water. Judging the sound it should have been a small underground waterfall. Maybe it even lead me back outside and I'd see the sun after almost a week of unnatural light. Seriously, anything would have been awesome.

So you can imagine my jaw dropped when I saw the dark, gloomy room with the little altar in the middle.

Unbelieving I stepped in and looked around. Nothing. There was no sign of water ever having been here. On the contrary, the walls felt unnaturally dry. I even peaked behind the altar. No explanation for the hissing sound was to be found.

Frowning I stepped back. Was this another riddle? I really couldn't imagine having come all this way for nothing! I couldn't go back to Faron with empty hands. I didn't want to. Maybe there was something about the altar with the emblem of the Goddess in the middle?

As I stepped closer, I could hear a crescendo in the hissing sound. My body felt numb, I couldn't stop my left hand. This was a really, really stupid idea! Something was warning me, not to touch the crest. I couldn't seriously be putting myself into so much danger (yet again)!

But what danger? I was just touching the altar. Just touching...

In an instant I thought I was back in the thunderhead, Ghirahims knives piercing my hand, his fingers digging into the wound. White hot spurs shot up my spine and strangled the scream in my throat. The noise was growing louder and louder, stone heating up beneath my fingers at the speed of my heartbeat. Panic spread through me in a snap.

I don't know how I managed to tare away, but it was not a moment to early. Flames, high as the ceiling, sprouted out of the symbol and cast a striking green light on my horror paled face. They were brighter than the sun, burning my skin from two feet away.

"_Leave, demonchild! You are not welcome here!" _the flames hissed in a dreadfully shrill voice. I clamped my hands over my ears and shut my eyes tight.

_They can't see me if I can't see them! _I chanted in my thoughts, _They can't touch me if the shadows are shielding me! _

But the darkness stayed away. It was almost like the fire burnt out any blackness in the room. I found myself stumbling backward against the door, falling through it. The green flames were licking at the stone without burning it. But they could hurt me. They were already hurting me, straining my ears with this incredible noise coming from everywhere, echoing from the walls. I thought my head might burst.

Then the song I had been hearing faintly from far beyond the temple restarted, just this time in the double volume of the sacred fire's roars. It felt as though Fi was singing, just not alone.

All I can remember is dropping my hands from my ears and trying to cover my head before I fell through the magical passage and fainted straight onto the floor.

I knew it was him before I could see him. His scared breath was fast and hushed. Pulling myself together I got up and looked around. It looked like the woods of Faron. He knelt in a circle of light and there were droplets that seemed to give a gentle sound. It hurt in my ears, but not as bad as it could have. Wherever we were, it was not the surface. Something about the gentle glow of the stone made me think of a sacred place. Also Links body seemed to consist of pure light. My heart skipped a beat at his beauty.

Was this a dream?

No, then he would have been able to see me too.

He seemed to be hearing something I didn't, in any case he nodded and said something slurred. All sounds seemed to echo too much for my ears. Then he took a step forward.

Something in me tried to stop him, made me open my mouth to say something quickly, before he stepped out of this circle. But I found my voice was not there.

I felt as if I didn't have a body here in this realm.

He left me alone in the circle. But the moment his foot touched the forest ground, something weird happened. It felt to me like a movement, almost like a wave, rushed through our surroundings and brought something to life. Hollow breaths sounded up all around us, a single sentence resonating throughout the realm:

_Get him!_

I would have screamed in horror, if I'd had the vocal chords. A motionless statue was charging at him with a most monstrous sword. And now that I looked at him, he didn't have a weapon! I gasped silently. The walking armor was coming and he didn't even run. He just kept walking right toward it, as if into its wide open arms. I couldn't move in my panic.

But then he touched a little, glowing droplet and without warning the world stopped. It became as silent as before. The breathing subsided ghostly, making me shiver. What had happened just now?

Link disappeared from view and I found myself cowering, covering my ears in fear of the noise.

What was happening? I'd never been so afraid of noise. Until a few weeks ago loudness had never been a problem. It felt as though my ears had become better all of a sudden.

But that aside, what WAS this place anyway? Obviously there were guardians there who tried to charge at Link the moment he left the circle. But when he found these drops he seemed safe.

And how had I landed here?

I couldn't say how long I was there shivering with fear, waiting for Link to finally come back, hoping that he could come back. What would happen, if the armor got him? What if he got lost? Did he even plan on coming back?

Once he actually did re-appear, but all he did was run right past me and disappear up a platform. After that he walked back around the tree so I couldn't see him.

Then suddenly the world shook once again. The statue started moving and disappeared from my view, red eyes staring out of the helmet lifelessly. I whimpered in fear and prayed for Link to come quickly.

This time the hollow breathing didn't end. It continued and continued without a change. What was going on over there? The giant tree was blocking the view completely. However it felt as though something was coming closer. I almost choked.

Link was running away from at least five statues. One of them, the one that had stood not too far from me, was about to reach him. It had already raised its sword preparing to strike.

I forgot all caution and ran toward him, leaving the circle, and grabbing his hand and tugging, just as the sword came down.

In his face I could read his surprise. He couldn't see me! But he still let me pull him into safety. Once his feet touched the inside of the circle, the world froze in dead silence once again. He stood staring. One hand of his slowly came toward my face and touched my cheek. I felt myself blush.

"Medowlaria?" he whispered hoarsely. The world of darkness and glowing molt around and formed the forest I knew. Small birds chirped around us. However the moment we were back in reality, his hand fell through me. I shook. I wasn't really here, was I.

"Dammit!" I muttered. But Link seemed to have heard that: "It IS you! How did you... Did you just save me in the silent realm?"

"The what?" my heart beat faster. Here I had a voice again, one, that he could hear.

He looked around, obviously unsure where I was: "Where are you? I can't see you, just hear your voice."

That reminded me: "The water dragon, Faron, is injured. I wanted to get the sacred water she needed, but there is no water here, so..."

He interrupted me: "Are you down here on the surface?"

"Yeah, I, um..." man that sounded so low, "I fell."

"But you survived!" the relief in his voice made me shiver.

"Yeah, through Faron." I responded in a whisper.

Link stroked his hair back, obviously thinking: "Goodness, you have no idea how afraid your parents are! Fledge was even caught flying in the night looking for you and I scanned the thunderhead thoroughly!"

That made my stomach lurch in a pang of guilt: "I... I'm sorry."

"What happened that you finally fell out of the sky?" he asked pointedly, reawakening my memory to why I don't miss Skyloft too much after all.

"Um, I got into a little trouble with, er, Ghirahim." I replied before thinking (You've probably heard this sentence way too often by now), "And I just fell."

For a moment he stayed silent. Then he sighed, ruffling his hair in a super cute way: "Okay, now what's this about Faron and sacred water?"

Weeeell as most of you have probably figured, stupid me had run into the wrong temple (But damn it, how was I supposed to know there were TWO!) and instead of water found the flame he needed. After a bit of discussion he promised to find the water (in the other temple) and made me promise to get back to Faron and wait for him there.

We were just talking about how stupid it had been of me to just leave without telling anyone, when suddenly my vision started blurring. My voice must have stopped, cause he started looking around, calling my name nervously. I tried to answer, fighting the spinning with all I had.

I opened me eyes to the ceiling of the second to last room of the temple. My left hand was stretched out, trying to grasp Link. Cussing I rolled to my side and started getting up.

Had it only been a dream? Maybe it was only my imagination and Link was really somewhere totally else.

I noticed after a moment of standing against the statue, rubbing my temples, that it didn't really make a big difference. I was definitely in the wrong place whatsoever and I needed to get out of here. After looking back at the door with the fire for a moment of uncertainty, I crossed the room to the golden door and left the quiet chamber.

-X-

Wow, that took for ever to write...

Thanks for sticking with Medowlaria through her love-fretting and curious journey through the wrong temple (stupid girl) and be prepared for a bit more action in the next chapter. This one was a lot of remembering and thinking, next will be a lot of talking and verbal battles. Be prepared :D


	19. Chapter 18

"And now you're back in the final area of the temple." Link resumed my misadventure of trying to find the way out.

Feeling how hot my face was, maybe it wasn't too bad that he couldn't see me: "Look, I can _see_ the stupid door, I just can't get there!"

"How is that even..." he laughed, "Forget it, I won't ask again."

Which was kinda nice of him, seen that I had already explained twice.

Link was already on his way to Faron. I could slip in and out of this trance at will now and I was using it every time I had a moment. Levias had been greatly interested in my dreams of Zelda and her journey. Now I was willing to believe, that he had known from the start, that something was off about me and that it wasn't only dreams. I had really seen the reborn Goddess on her journey, following her like a phantom.

But I didn't dare tell Link about that. There was still the ending to the nightmare, when he had killed me.

He brought me back to the presence: "How are you doing this anyway?"

"Huh?" I stuttered, sounding very stupid.

"How are you talking to me? It's almost like telepathy or something, isn't it?" he asked, half joking.

I shrugged a moment before remembering the one-sided effect: "I don't know. I just concentrate on you. Right before I go to sleep it's the easiest."

I left out the part of summoning up some shadows beforehand.

He shrugged: "I should be there by tonight if all goes well. You've more or less told me about the entire temple already and even though I'm expecting more trouble with the monsters, I think I'll manage it in one day."

"Don't overdo it!" I exclaimed before I could help myself. You can't really blame me for worrying, can you?

Well good, cause he did: "I've been overdoing it for weeks. I think I'll manage to get through to you without getting killed, before YOU get killed!"

Sadly, he had a point.

"I really need to sleep now." I muttered, "Can't believe it's supposed to be morning out there."

"If there is no natural change between night and day in there it's no wonder you're confused." he smiled his worried smile, "Sleep well."

"Thanks. Good luck." I replied residing for just a moment to see his gentle shake of the head, still having the worried expression plastered all over his handsome features.

When would people learn to not worry about me so much?

_When you learn to not babysit Link. _I told myself grinning and forced my body to blink twice. I was staring at the ceiling again, groaning softly. I knew, okay? But it is really, really hard to not worry. And yet everybody hates it when other worry too much.

Actually, now that I thought about it, there was one time where I'd felt weirdly good to see the expression of fear for me on someones face. Ghirahims chocolate eyes piercing the storm, glinting in fright. I couldn't forget the almost nonexistent hint of exasperation in his voice, trying to force Faron to hand me over.

He cared for me. More than any man had ever cared.

I know it was stupid of me to not remember how much he had made Faron suffer. The pain in my hand cooperated with the inhuman humiliation and the terrible things he did to my bird... I shouldn't have been thinking of him the way I did.

But you tell a fluttering heart to not pound and then we'll talk, deal?

I closed my eyes with a warm tingling in my stomach. But only a few moments later, or so it seemed to me, I woke with a start. Something was wrong. My instincts where pleading me to find cover.

Now!

I jumped to my feet, not really understanding the feeling I had, and darted to the exit into the chamber with the flames (I was not going to touch them again!). The passage let me through whenever I gently pushed against it. It was like a film of water (Just that I didn't get wet) against my skin. But the moment I was inside, I heard a most curious noise that reminded me a bit of breaking glass fragments. And then there was the heavily muffled sound of someone breathing and moving next door. My heart almost stopped.

That was Ghirahims voice.

Unsure whether to curse or blush, I tip-toed away from the door and looked over at the goblet. It was no longer burning, even though the hissing sounds was still in the air. The words I had heard while being kicked out of the room came back into mind as I settled against a far corner of the (round) room to get some more sleep before Link arrived. _Demonchild_... it must have mistaken me for any other intruder. Probably Ghirahim (who was just on the other side of the door) or one of his minions. Link had said that he was looking for the sacred flames to purify his sword (whatever that meant) and probably the magic around them kept the bad guys out. Anyone who wasn't Link and was strong enough get here had to be like Ghirahim, so a servant of the Demongod.

Still, even knowing all of that, sleeping next to the altar scared the crap out of me and I'd never been so restless in my sleep.

Hearing Links voice echoing through the walls had me up in an instant. He was close. I felt his presence just below the chamber!

Scrambling to my feet I listened over my pounding heartbeat into the next room. There was nothing to hear from next door except for silence. Ghirahim, whatever he had wanted in here, must have left again. Feeling more than only a bit relieved I walked toward the door, but looked back one more time hesitantly before going through. The fire had tolerated my presence for the night. A bit like with Levias and Faron, I felt prone to show some sign of respect, a symbol that I see the greatness in the magic. Maybe it was just a stupid trick, but something in the loud roaring voice I had heard almost a week ago had told me of another presence. A godly power lying behind the green element.

Taking a deep breath I turned to the altar and knelt for a moment, saying quietly: "Thank you for you hospitality."

Nothing happened for a moment, making me feel mighty foolish and stand up again. But then there was a flicker of light in the bird-emblem. It was glowing in a pale, blue light. A voice, feminine and painful to my ears whispered something I barely understood: "_Be cautious with your light._"

"I-I will." I responded automatically, overwhelmed that I'd been answered. The light became smaller and died moments later.

I was confused as I pressed through the passage. Had I understood correctly? _Light_? What light? Was it maybe a warning about Ghirahim, that I shouldn't give in to him?

Strangely that made me think for a split moment: _Well in that case, I'll give in._ You can't blame me really, it's just the way I am. When somebody tries to make me do something I'll do it anyway just to spite them.

The statue was just as it had been before, seemingly untouched and perfect. Nothing seemed to have changed. But still I felt like I could hear something. A ragged breath, kept very shallow and quiet on purpose, underlined by the unmistakable hint of a heartbeat. I can't say I was too surprised, but it still made me blush in shame, when I felt something sharp trace my back just between my shoulder blades. I should have known that he would trap me and he even managed to fool my ears!

"_A bit late for little children to be up, is it not_?" he whispered into my ear, making me shudder. So this was his game. He wanted to tease me.

"_A bit early for you to be up, maybe, old man._" I replied, stepping away and turning to face him. The knife in his hand disappeared into a cloud of diamonds.

Ghirahim was wearing his red cloak again, holding it half wrapped around himself. I would have bet any number of rupees that he hid a whole arsenal of weapons under the fabric. And he knew perfectly well that he was torturing me just with that. Somehow he had come to know a lot about me in very little time, just as I too knew a lot about him.

Like how he knew that I had been next door.

Like how I knew what that dark look in his eyes meant.

"_I am insulted._" he huffed dramatically, _"Old man... I dare say this magnificent body my master gave me is a perfect example of juvenile strength!"_

What a sly dog: "_How old are you then?_"

His eyes glinted: _"That is a very rude question, little girl." _

_"You are calling me a little girl."_ I replied with a forced smile. Link was very close. If I managed to stay away from him and a alive until my friend arrived I had good chances of getting out of here untouched (yes I chose that word carefully).

"_I am older than you might imagine. I was created many thousands of years ago to serve the almighty king of darkness."_ he exclaimed, raising his left hand to the heavens in a highly theatrical motion.

I grinned: "_I am fifteen now."_

He didn't say anything to that, but something about his expression changed when his eyes locked with mine. It was probably the "now" that had tipped him off. It was my birthday.

He started walking toward the statue, not breaking our eye contact once: "_I had told you that we'd meet again soon."_

A warm feeling tingled over my lips.

"_You should think about my offer._" he added before snapping his fingers and disappearing into a cloud of diamonds. He was still there, but it took me until he started speaking again, that I saw him perched on the head of the statue: _"Have you?"_

"_How could I not?"_ I hadn't been able to think about almost anything else.

_"You are very honest."_ he commented. Why did everybody say that like it was a bad thing?

_"You are too." _I responded, thinking of another offer he had made to me: either fight and die or surrender and survive.

He bowed his head galantly: _"Why thank you! I see you are learning some things about being polite." _

_"Don't take all the credit." _I muttered, not being able to look away. Something in my craved him to get off the statue and come down here. I wanted to be closer to him so I could see those beautiful eyes of his fully.

Suddenly he looked away and pointed at the door: _"That pitiful Skychild of yours is going to be here soon." _

_"Don't call Link pitiful."_ I responded automatically. Seeing the sadistic glint in his eyes I quickly added: "_Please. He's only doing his best!"_

Ghirahim looked me in the eye again, the look not quite gone: "_Where do you take the nerve from to be such a fresh little child_?" 

I didn't answer that question (especially since there was no answer I could give): "_Why are you here?" _

That sure got him worked up: _"I need the spirit maiden but she got away, as I have already told you. Now I am looking for other ways to revive my master." _

_"There might be other ways?"_ I asked with a sinking feeling. Even if that would mean Zelda would be freed of danger, Link would still be in great danger.

_"I do not know."_ he replied. But in his voice I could hear a hint of something unexpected: Sadness.

I did not want to hear that sadness so I asked something else: _"You're still bluffing. If you're looking for hints of something you would have left after you saw that there's nothing to see." _

_"Maybe little girls can't see the obvious!"_ he snapped back, pouting. It made me laugh out of some reason.

_"Maybe there was a different reason, why you came here. And I bet it wasn't because you want to see Link."_ I suggested, wishing a moment later I had kept my mouth shut. But it was too late. The pout fell from his face as if I had slapped him. Then there was a grin creeping over his lips and he stood up, teleporting himself in front of my feet (that guy is lazier than Mallara, Link and me combined). His left hand snaked to my face and cupped my cheek. Embarrassed I could only stand still, craving secretly to lean into the tender touch. How could this man be so sick and twisted and yet so gentle and caring in the snap of a moment?

How could I be falling for a person like this?

"_I don't like to be corrected, Medowlaria. Especially when you are right."_ he whispered, his husky voice like a massage in my strained ears.

Suddenly Links voice snapped like thunder: "Get away from her NOW!"

Ghirahims hand stayed where it was, but I jumped almost tipping over backward. He stood between me and Link but somehow it felt a bit comforting. It might be a stupid comparison, but this was probably what it felt like, when your mom catches you kissing your boyfriend.

"I think this is my own business, wouldn't you say so Skychild?" Ghirahim hissed, stroking his thumb down my face pointedly. I felt myself freeze. Of course I hadn't told Link. What was the demon planning!

Link was very angry and worried (which brought me back to what I said about that before) as he responded with a forced calm voice: "She has nothing to do with all of this. Zelda and the Imprisioned, they are our business, not hers. So leave her out of this!"

The hand was touching my throat now.

"Did I say she had something to do with your boring affairs?" Ghirahim tsked, "Really, some men think everything is about them... And that every woman wants them."

I could feel his index finger tracing my collarbone.

Link was staring at us with wide eyes.

My face was burning in shame. I couldn't look him in the eye.

Finally Ghirahim dropped his hand off me, leaving my skin crawling with the phantoms of his touches: "Well, well, for someone who has rejected her love you sure are eager to get her back!"

"She is my friend!" Link growled through clenched teeth. But panic stood in his face. My heart felt like it was bleeding. Why did I hope again and again, whenever he gave me a kind smile, that I might have a chance?

Ghirahim shifted, moving away from me. His one hand disappeared under his cloak. Something had changed about the situation. Link was even more tense and Ghirahims chocolate eyes were flickering back and forth between us.

"A friend, whom you are hindering from her destiny!" the demon laughed, but it sounded strained, "Her fate and yours should never have crossed each other. Her power cannot flourish where you want to bring her back to!"

Link swallowed down his nervousness: "You want to kill both Zelda and me, her friends! You want to kill everyone who gets in your way!"

"Not that you are any different. You kill my minions all the time." he haunted. It was not hard to hear, that that didn't bother him too much.

"Med!" Link was looking at me now, "You know perfectly fine what is right and what is wrong! I only want to know you are safe!"

Realization finally hit me to what was going on. They where fighting over me. No weapons where needed for this battle, nobody would shed blood.

At least not in front of my eyes.

Ghirahim threw back his hair: "Oh really, what a poor excuse. She does not even want to be safe! The Medowlaria I have seen is up for adventure!"

Again, how did he know so much?

"I have been her friend for her entire life." Link hissed at him, "I think I know her better than you! You've only managed to run into each other because you can't restrict a fight to the battle field!"

Suddenly a real, evil smirk crept over Ghirahims face, making me shiver: "You think people with connected fates can't know each other in a hand full of meetings?"

He walked toward me and ripped up my left hand, showing the hole to Link: "It was me who gave her that wound!"

My eyes fell on a little rip in his suit, that he help out triumphantly, still standing so close to me that I could touch him: "She wounded me!"

Link had not been expecting this. I felt horribly guilty.

But Ghirahim wasn't done. He stepped back to watch Link digesting the fact, that we had battled. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, he spoke on: "And also, I dare say she is perfectly willing to be with me and I am capable of keeping her safe enough."

"What is that supposed to mean!" Link snapped. I was starting to feel scared. The air was so thick with tension it was hard to move against it.

The demon grinned maliciously: "She didn't tell you?"

My eyes pleaded him not to do this.

"We had a chat the other day." he spoke softly, almost suggestively, his guilty hand finding its way back to my face, "I told her to think about something. Do you remember, what it was, Medowlaria?"

My name coming from him sent a shiver down my spine. But I couldn't speak.

His hand grabbed into my red locks: "_Maybe you need to be reminded!_"

I was shocked by how I met his kiss midair.

Links mixture of growl and gasp made me pull away forcefully, hitting the statue with my back. My knees where wobbling and I could feel tears running over my face.

"Link..." my voice broke. I couldn't speak.

He was staring at Ghirahim: "... you DARE! She is a child!"

"She is just as much of a child as you are." Ghirahim replied coldly, "She is fifteen of age! When I was created you became a grown up at age fourteen. She is a woman."

It was true. According to old laws I was grown up already. In a small place such as Skyloft you never left home. You took care of your parents until they died as your children did for you after that. Gondo for example.

Ghirahim on the other hand was ageless.

Not that Link cared about that too much. He turned to face me: "Med, this is a trap! He is trying to steal you for himself!"

"She is perfectly clear that I wish her powers." Ghirahim dismissed him with a wave of his hand, "But she is not someone to give orders to. Isn't that right, Medowlaria?"

Why did he keep that other hand hidden under his cloak all the time?

Something made it clear to me, that this battle was coming to an end: "Med, please. You might never be able to come home if he gets his hands on you once! Think of your bird! Think of Zelda and..." he swallowed, "Think of me!"

He didn't love me like a man loved a woman. He couldn't. But he did want to be a friend in the end.

This was Ghirahims last go. But it was entirely different than I would have thought. It was nothing about my talent or my unhappy love. His eyes where unveiled and honest for this one moment: "_I will let you listen._"

Somehow that made my heart beat faster.

Link hadn't understood the words but he suddenly looked grave. He shook his head slowly: "I would have never guessed that I'd see the woman in you after all."

Fresh tears flowed over my lashes. He didn't mean that he loved me. He had seen the love in my eyes.

But then I heard something. It was a little hiss, a bit like the invisible green flames. But where did it come from?

Glancing at Ghirahim gave me a terrible answer. His right, hidden shoulder was fidgeting slightly. My stomach churned. He had been planning this attack!

"_NO_!" the volume of my own voice startled me but I ran at Link, just as the demon raised his hand in attack. The pitch black sphere was rotating in deathly announcement.

Pushing Link felt weird. His arms where hard as steel under my left hand and his body took a moment of resistance before he fell out of the magic's way. I gasped.

The magic burst on my already injured hand into a thousand shreds of blackness, letting searing pain strike my entire body. Where the black shards hit me it burnt even worse. One of the pieces even struck my left eye, making my vision blur.

I could barely see what was happening.

I guess Link must have reached out to me and try to hold me (I kinda remember the whole world tipping for a moment) but the places he touched pounded a painful sensation in addition to the pain from the magic. I yelped, stumbling away from him.

I had never seen him look so confused and hurt.

My heart sank. This was it, wasn't it. My throbbing eyes found Ghirahim who was staring at me with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Overcoming my momentary shock I reached out my shaking, uninjured hand toward him. He took it and pulled me toward him.

Link yelled: "NO!"

But I barely heard it. All that filled my ears was the excited heartbeat of the demon that resonated through his bones. A small cackle ran through his body, then there was a snap. For a moment we were standing in absolute blackness, just me leaning against him, searching for support.

Suddenly his voice was at my ear, husky and filled with triumph: "_You're mine now, Medowlaria!_"

I squinted into his eyes. His breath hitched for a split second, giving him away. This was not the whole truth. But it was all I had left. Maybe I had just done the most stupid thing of my life.

"_I don't belong to anyone, Ghirahim._"

Or maybe this was going to change us for the better.

Looking back, I don't regret it. No matter what happened. I will never regret having chosen him in that moment.

**-X-**

Dundundunnnn!

Betcha weren't expecting _that!_


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

His arms were holding against his chest tightly when I woke up. It took me a moment to understand the pictures I saw dancing behind my eyelids. Link and Zelda were there, their sillouhettes flickering madly. She was insisting on something important. I could hear them through the dimensions.

It was about her being the goddess. About Links role, about the imprisioned and…

Me.

"Medowlaria." my name. I was so startled that I blinked several times before I was certain that I was not dreaming. In fact, it was like awakening from a terrible dream. Very slowly I took Ghirahims blackened arm from myself and rolled out of his grasp, scrambled to my feet and stared at the demon for a few moments. My heart was pounding at the speed of light. Shaking I gathered my clothes and slipped into my tunic before walking another step away. It was still night here. The world, that consisted of water and ash and the sky above, it was truly beautiful.

When we had first arrived here, Ghirahim had welcomed me to the demon realm. He explained that it looked different to everyone. But Link later told me that to him it had looked the same as to me. The realm was different than the silent realm, mostly because it was completely empty. But there was a bit more.

It was quiet.

I have never been able to sleep as well as in the demon realm.

My eyes wandered over the endless water surface. It was reflecting the cold, black sky now. But just for me, two days ago, Ghirahim had let it explode in the most beautiful red and orange sunset of my entire life.

The water was a curious phenomena. To the touch it was like a thin elastic layer and yet, if you put your hands down for a drink, it was like a lake surface and broke beneath the palm. And it wasn't just water, it turned sweet. I hadn't eaten since my arrival. I didn't need to, the water was magical in that way.

Magical was a good description. The past days had all happened in a veil. My body felt drained of energy and willpower. Under Ghirahims strict supervision I had sat absolutely still for two days and nights in a row. But this world let me do that without problem. He had told me to think about everything I needed to think. And the longer I sat, the more came to mind until, half way through the second day, I had run out of thoughts.

It still holds the list of weird things that happened to me.

So I started concentrating on things around me again. Breath, life, emptiness, silence and loudness. They all where there at once. I was remembering the first time the shadows had appeared, when he had intended to kill me. Slowly I managed to collect the feelings I had felt and it sprouted into darkness seeping from my palms into the water. There they disappeared from view, becoming one with a world that lived from shades. I did pass out though after that.

When I woke up, Ghirahim gave me blade and started to battle me. We fought all day, the screeching sound of metal against metal making me cringe every single time. But to my greatest surprise, after a felt eternity, my nerves calmed down. I was getting faster and better, seeing his moves before he made them, no longer relying on my instincts alone. Once I even nicked his arm. But that only resulted in him knocking the knife from my hand and giving me a fierce uppercut.

Nonetheless, I hadn't felt so happy, so freed, for my entire life.

We had three stages of training: Meditation, battle, stretching.

Already the next time we did that cycle I managed to summon a large cluster of shadows that snaked around my body, whipping out at Ghirahim when he came to close. That made him laugh, stating that I was untamable. Well, I agree.

Stretching on the other hand showed me something else, a level that I had agreed on without thinking and couldn't regret. His strong, lean hands would lead every movement I made, stroking the muscles to life, explaining in a husky voice what to do. His breath was on my sweat-sheeted skin, so close that I could even feel the warmth of his body against mine. He would trace the valleys between muscles, humming silently to himself. And when we were done he told me stories.

Some of them I still relive in my dreams. The story of his creation was his favorite. But sometimes it would be about magic.

_"Dark and light will always be in conflict with one another._" he once said, drawing ripples into the water, "_That is the way it was made by the gods." _

_"But who made the gods? Who decides what is right and what is not?" _

That had made him laugh bitterly: _"There is no such thing. One side must die and if you treasure your life it had better be yours. We all just want to survive." _

_"What about your master?" _ I had asked quietly. That made him think for a moment before leaning back uncomfortably: _"My master is more to me than a parent would be for you. He has created me this way. I am helplessly devoted to him." _he pointed at the hidden double diamond under his eye, _"This is my mark that makes me his for ever."_

_"I would try to break free. That's what I always do."_ I had commented, which made him grin and ask: _"But you're not trying to break free right now." _

_"I'm not captured." _

His eyes sparkled in the curious light above and I rested my head against his shoulder to cleanse his thoughts of the pain he felt but couldn't show. He was very lonely. But when I showed him my affection like that, I could sense how the tension in his body molt against my touch, making me smile.

I could not say when it was that he disappeared for a day and came back wounded. I can recall how I used shadows to sew his wounds back together and how I cut my tunic to bind a deep slash on his stomach. He growled in pain, scaring me, but I continued tending his cuts. That night he slept before me, mumbling unconnected things about red strings of fate and gates of time. By his side I stooped all night, listening to his shallow breaths. It filled me with an essence of peace. I had never before watched somebody in their sleep. Groose was too old, my parents would have been weird and I was not really that loony that I would break into Links room for that. However with Ghirahim it brought a sense of intimacy and connectedness.

The black on his hands and forearms stayed, looking like black gloves. But the next day there was a certain tension in the air that I couldn't quite understand. But it sure made it hard to concentrate.

My magic kept breaking and I was covered in minor cuts by the end of training. However, Ghirahim broke the tradition and promised to teach me something new. It was about what to do once you loose your weapon in battle so you don't land on your back to the edge of a platform (I'm not hinting). And he had me hold the remaining blade.

His hands would grab my leading hand and the other forearm, one leg hooked between mine, and as he was ripping the knife out of my grasp, he managed to trip me over his hip. I made me giggle but I kept on going, once managing to get him halfway over my own hip before he made an unexpected flip, knocking the feet out from under me so I fell square onto my back and jumping onto me, holding my hands over me head: "_It appears that you have lost, little girl." _

I didn't struggle.

"_I haven't lost to anyone."_ I replied quietly, feeling the fire burn in my heart. He laughed softly, nicking at my ear with his teeth. I shivered, making him look up at me. His eyes made me feel mesmerized.

Suddenly his lips darted onto mine, kissing me deeply. My arms wrapped themselves around him as I let myself go, giving my body, soul and ears into his hands.

I snapped back into reality. Zelda and Link. I hadn't even thought about them for the entire time I'd been in the demon realm. Maybe it was the devotion I had brought up for Ghirahim. Maybe my bad conscience. But whatever it was, I was noticing it had ended.

This place was not the real world. Not the world that I was born into, the place of my fate. I wanted to hear my bird cry, to feel the wind on my face. Now that I had found this realm I could always come back here, I was sure of that. Somewhere inside of me was the key to this utopia of freeness and silence.

But utopias where non reachable for a reason. Living in this realm forever would have done nothing good for me, in retrospect. However there was one thing I never felt. Not even looking back at Ghirahims naked form lying on his cape. Warmth and bliss where the only things I felt.

But I knew that I had to go now. The dream was over, Link was waiting for me.

I opened the knot around my scarf and pulled it off my neck. The demon had not left marks on my skin so I didn't need to cover up. And I just felt that I owed him some kind of sign, something to show that I had not just run away for no reason. Something, that expressed my gratitude.

I laid the cloth on the floor where I stood and looked up into the sunless sky. For a moment I thought I heard a loftwing cry, but it was way too far away to be understood.

I raised my arms and started a summoning charm. But this time I didn't look for the comforting shadows. I remembered every detail of the place I called home. The sound of trickling water, the way the wind breathed, a motion in the air that was incomparable to the rest of the world, filled with magic. Tears came to my eyes as I could feel a breeze hit me in this world were the air stood still.

_"Please,"_ I whispered in the language of the birds, _"Let me go home!" _

My hands grasped for the moving air and I thought I felt something for a split moment. A light sparked through my body, making me shake. Even if it was invisible to me from this world, I could sense how the darkness of my homeland was welcoming me back with a loving care while the bright side only reluctantly and lifelessly moved along. Light and shadow could not be disconnected. If they moved, they did so hand in hand. That was one of the things I had learned here.

The heavy evening breeze pooled around my feet, carrying me away, back home. There was a change in the sky, from the dark night to a deep red of sunset. My breath hitched when I felt the growing, rustling grass stroke the hollows of my feet, the whisper of the wind and water seemed to have evolved into a roar in my absence. Two birds, who were flying at the far end of the sky, where chatting, yet I thought I could hear them right beside me.

My stage of trance seemed to have been slapped out of me, like the ending of a nightmare. My knees gave way as exhaustion crashed on me. It must have been a spell in the demon realm that kept me from feeling the tiredness and had let me pull through for so long. Another thing I hadn't bees so aware of was the intense pain from overworking my muscles.

Suddenly I felt as though something had stabbed my left eye and I almost let a scream tare from my throat. But I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth so merely a muffled groan escaped it. But that was not a very smart move, since my left hand was hurting as hell.

Shaking I calmed my breath and found my throbbing eye. I had clenched it shut, praying for a release. THe skin felt fine and unmarked. What was causing the pain?

When I retrieved my hand and glanced at it through my watering right eye it was coated in blackness.

I lay there for most of the night until I finally managed to calm down far enough to fall into trance. At first I was not sure who I was trying to reach, Link, Zelda... even Ghirahim came to mind. But my senses wanted me to call for someone else. For someone I had never wished to hear before but. But after spending so much time (how long had it been? Weeks? Months? Maybe even a year?) in a different world without a feeling for natural time and so far from home, I really wanted, no, needed to hear Groose voice.

My consciousness shifted and I could see him. He was sitting outside of the temple I had not been able to enter, looking into the forest. To his feet there was a kind of drawing of, what looked to me like, a catapult. It seemed to be night there, were he was, which calmed me. We were in the same world again. Gently I walked toward him in my bodiless stage and called his name carefully: "Groose, it's me."

He jumped to his feet as if he had been slapped: "Who's there!"

"It's your stupid little sister."

I think it was probably something in my voice that had him calm down momentarily: "Medowlaria? Is that really you? Link said that maniac who kidnapped Zelda had killed you!"

My heart sank: "He didn't kill me Groose. I'm alright."

"But what happened! Why can't I see you?" he urged looking around fearfully. He had already been different the last time I'd seen him, but this time I though someone had exchanged the brother I knew.

"I think..." realization made me swallow back tears, "I think he tried to train me to fight against Link."

"WHAT!" there he was, my overly protective brother (funny to think it used to be the other way around most of the time). I had to smile and felt the urge to hug him. But I knew, that it wouldn't work.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now..."

He interrupted me: "Med, if you don't tell me now, you won't tell me in ten years either! I can hear that you're hurt! What happened?"

For a moment I hesitated. But then I literally crashed and heard the words flow like a well. He didn't interrupt me once, even though I probably wasn't making much sense. The only thing I didn't find the heart to tell him was how far Ghirahim and I really went after that one night.

"...and then there was Zelda." I croaked, "They were talking in my dream and I woke up, knowing that I had to go home..."

Groose took a shuddering breath: "Where are you now?"

"I-I'm not sure. I think there's water running nearby, so I guess I'm over the waterfall somewhere."

"Is someone around?" he wondered, thinking through options.

I shook my head: "No. But I think I'll be well enough to fly by morning. And if I really am over the waterfall I'll just jump."

"Sounds like you're going to get home fine."

The thought of my house made me shudder but I said nothing. It was funny how the room I called mine was the last place I really wanted to go to. Instead I mumbled: "How long have I been gone?"

He shrugged: "It's been about a month since I last saw you. Link said you disappeared two weeks ago."

To think only a week had passed in my memory since I'd last looked into Links panic stricken, cerulean eyes.

I felt myself sob: "Oh Groose... I don't know what to do anymore... Ghirahim was hinting that I'm not like everyone else and I'm scared that I really have to fight Link..."

He interrupted me for the second time: "Med! You know that you're still my sister, right? You will always be the little flying monster that keeps Skyloft on tip-toes. You still have a crush on Link, even after you little..." he choked on the word and pushed it aside, "In any case, you're still the same! So don't worry about that."

_It's not that easy._

"Do you have any idea what might make me be different from everybody else?" I looked away, "Even you would agree that I don't act like neither mom nor dad most of the time. and I don't even look anything like dad. We both have moms yellow eyes and red hair, but I don't even have the same shape of face."

"Are you wondering weather you're adopted or something?" he asked, not denying anything I'd said.

"Yeah."

He hesitated which definitely alarmed me. What did he know? It was, logically seen, rather impossible to keep a big secret in Skyloft. Everybody knew everything. But that made me stop mid-tracks.

"_Oh Goddess, please don't tell me..._" I muttered in the language of the birds. Groose hadn't heard and started to explain: "Okay, this was a huge secret for many years. I hate mom and dad for not telling you and forbidding me to say anything."

"What is it!" I urged starting to feel panicked.

"When I was barely two, mom disappeared." he started slowly, searching my my eyes that he could not see, "She didn't come back for months. Everybody thought she had fallen out of the sky. But father didn't believe that. I think my earliest memory is him sitting at the window in the living room, staring into the night." his lip was trembling, "She came back out of the blue, covered in cuts and dirt and thin like twig. But she was showing signs of pregnancy. I still know that well. Father and her had a very long talk one night. After that everyone pretended that nothing had ever happened. If you ask any of the other grown-ups, they'll tell you that she had been stranded on a far away island."

"But... but what do you think happened?" my voice was merely a shaky whisper.

He looked at the ground: "When you were born, dad refused to hold you and mom couldn't smile the way mothers do when they hold their babies. Since then I think she had an affair in those months and you were a child from that affair."

I didn't feel shocked. I felt numbed. Stuttering I whispered: "But... but who?"

"I don't know." he laughed strained, "Once I tried to talk to her about it, because we had a fight over her crappy parenting and I criticized her for neglecting you. But she panicked and wouldn't say a thing."

"I... I think I have to go..." I mumbled feeling dizzy, "Thank you Groose."

My brother looked sad: "I wish it didn't have to be like this."

"We can't change the past." I heard myself say in a hollow voice, "But we can try to understand it. See ya, brother!"

I awoke lying in the grass. A lot of things were making sense. Mom and dad hadn't favored Groose only because of his ambitions. THey could love him free of guilt. Seeing me had to remind both of my parents of moms affair.

But one little question lay hidden in the back of my head: _Was I finding the explanation to why I found my bird so late? _

I'll be honest. I was petrified to find out.

**-X- **

I think Medowlaria might have grown up a bit in the past few chapters.

Yes, for those who don't get a hint, Medowlaria got laid.

**A little side note though:** Ghirahim is ageless and has a body made out of magic. According to (my self proclaimed) law of Hyrule Medowlaria is of age. Them having sex is not illegal and it does not make Ghira a pedophile or something like that. No reviews making a stink about that please!


	21. Chapter 20

The sunrise made me blink through my right eye, groaning at the fact that I'd woken up at the crack of dawn. Why did I have to get up? My limbs felt like they were made of lead and my head was spinning.

Groggy I got to my knees, trying not to touch my left hand. Or any other part of my body for that matter. There was a stabbing pain in my chest and my legs felt weak. Struggling to stay standing I looked around shaking. Looked like I'd been right guessing that I'm over the waterfall. The spring was right next to me. My eyesight was swimming and I couldn't see Skyloft below clearly.

_Guess we'll have to take a risk._ I thought, remembering Ghirahims statement in the Ancient Cistern: "_She does not even want to be safe! The Medowlaria I have seen is up for adventure!" _

And he was correct. I didn't care too much for being wrong about my guess right now. The sound of water echoing against the stone walls was unmistakable. I needed to stick to my ears for orientation.

Not hesitating any longer I jumped into the water, ignoring the aches and letting the flow carry me. The tantalizing moment of falling free, holding my breath, revived the elemental fears of falling and crushing to death on the ground below, stealing the breath from me. It was intoxication. Never had it felt so intense.

Hitting the water snapped me back into reality. I had to find homeland fast or I would really fall. Swimming with broad, tantalizing strokes I somehow managed to guess the shore correctly. Sharp rubble cutting my feet had never felt reassuring before this day but now it almost made me kiss the ground. Exhausted I blinked with my right eye, trying to look around. Thank Hylia, nobody had seen my fall.

Slowly and carefully I set one foot before another, my eyes closed. The only thing I could use to find my way was my ears. The steady breathing of every single person in Skyloft lead the way past the houses. My footsteps resonating from wood and brick kept me from leaving the path. It was weird. I had thought I'd been away for years. But now I returned and nothing here had changed.

Had I changed?

When I touched the smooth wood from my door I had to restrain myself from flinching. Had the walls always sighed so loudly? Was it just my imagination or was my home wishing I had never returned? For a few moments my hands ghosted over the doorknob. It was also my home. I had no reason to restrain from just going in. But somehow I felt like a stranger on my own doorstep.

In the end I raised my right hand and knocked. Something in me prayed for my mother to be out. Father would still be flying so...

Then the door swung open, making me jump backward. Mothers pale, remlit eyes stared at me with an air of exhaustion. Her clothes where shifted and her hair a mess. I couldn't believe it when I caught a glimpse of a chair standing right in the hall. She had guarded the door all night!

Her voice was sharp: "Where the HELL have you been!"

I blinked with my one eye: "Trouble. But you're used to that."

Interesting how I snapped back into the old pattern of behavior right away.

"Come inside, you're sopping wet!" she exclaimed, pulling me in. I took a big step and almost hissed in pain. Mother seemed to notice something and went slower for me. She brought me into the bathroom. After closing the door she looked me up and down, frowning: "Do you have any idea where Groose is?"

"Surface." my voice was cracking, feeling strained. Speaking and pronouncing Skyloftian was incredibly difficult all of a sudden. I continued hoarsely: "He's been better than me. I talked to him last night."

She just nodded, her face relaxing a bit. I guessed that Link had tried to calm her, but maybe she did trust me. I was honest, maybe a bit too much so. Mother turned on the water faucet and started the coals beneath the tub. Then she turned to face me: "Can you get yourself undressed?"

"I don't know." I admitted in a whisper. This was really embarrassing.

She made me sit down on a little stool and started unwrapping my tunic, pulling it over my head, commenting my missing scarf. When I was half nude she gasped. It took me a moment to understand and look down my body. There were black brands all over me. As well as a large bruise under my ribcage (that was probably from that stupid uppercut) and a row of small, purple marks. I was confused for a moment. What where those black and purple things?

Suddenly I touched my eye. The black substance no longer left it but it still hurt hellishly. Thinking about it, Ghirahims black sphere, that he had tried to kill Link with, had splattered all over my chest. My arms had been healed over a few times by Ghirahim which must have flushed the marks away. In the demon realm these things must have been invisible. But in the real world, my world, they came back with double the force.

Well, that would explain why things like hunger, thirst, exhaustion and pain hadn't mattered in there.

But mom didn't ask about the burnt skin. She pointed at the purple patches: "How did you get those!"

I shrugged: "What are they anyway?" They reminded me of something Karane had sported on her neck once, a year or two ago. But I'd been damned if I'd known what they really were.

She took a shuddered breath, turning slightly pink: "Medowlaria, those... they're hickeys!" seeing me non-understanding expression she said, "Love marks!"

First I stared. Then I must have turned the color of my hair.

"Ghira." I whispered, daring to touch one of the marks. They were sensitive but for a moment I thought I felt his lips ghosting over my skin.

Looking up at mother, extremely embarrassed, I noticed a look of horror in her eyes. Her voice sounded horribly strained when she finally asked: "Please tell me you did NOT get knocked up!"

"Huh?" I asked stupidly. She was not up for jokes: "Have you had your period since then!"

Period... I could distantly remember Zelda telling me about that once but..

"I... I don't know." I mumbled, scratching my ear in embarrassment, "I don't think so..."

Horror struck her face: "You 're pregnant?!"

Now she talking a language I understood: "The hell? No! Why would I be pregnant?"

"It's painfully obvious that you slept with somebody!" she hissed helping me out of my pants so I could get into the tub, "Look at yourself! You look like you where raped! What the hell happened to...!" She stopped mid track.

Shaking she stepped back. I locked my legs, feeling hellishly self conscious and confused. What was wrong?

"Mother?" I whispered.

After a moment she shook her head and helped me into the warm water. Hesitantly I washed my body, scrubbing at layers of dirt that came from the weeks of forest and getting lost. But when I reached my left hand she snatched it away from me, staring at the horrible scar. Her lip was trembling. Cautiously she put it down and told me that she would be back in a moment. Confused I washed the soap off of me and leaned back to soak in the steam, thinking of Ghirahim.

It had occurred to me, that I could get pregnant, but to be honest, I didn't know anything about getting and having children back then. I knew that it took a woman and a man and that the woman had to have the child. I also knew that women died in childbirth, like Zeldas mother had and that people didn't speak about those cases. Karane had told me, that you could get pregnant from having intercourse. Sex I knew of course, I'd read enough of those smutty novels to be informed.

Suddenly I felt warm and instinctively hugged my lower body. What if I had become pregnant from lying with him? The thought of a baby made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Then I remembered Grooses words.

I looked at the door, wondering. What had happened to mother? How had I been conceived? What was the lie Skyloft had been whispering in my ear my entire life?

Remembering her reaction I sneaked a peak at me legs and started. On the inside of my thigh, just over the knee, there was a little, angry red scar in the shape of a double-diamond. I was startled. What was the meaning of that? Why had Ghirahim put that on me?

By the time she was back, I had stood up and wrapped a towel around me. My legs were extremely wobbly and I didn't have the energy to fight back when she forced me to sit down. But then somebody else came in behind her.

"Luv?" I stuttered, letting the large woman lock me into a ribcrushing hug.

"Thank Hylia, you have gotten home safe!" she let go of me, looking me up and down, "What happened to you? Your face is a mess!"

"Trouble." I muttered, avoiding mothers gaze. Luv sighed dramatically and took my hand, making a shocked sound.

Mother stepped at her side: "Can you make that hole disappear before my husband sees this?"

"I might." she let go, searching her purse for something, "Those potions work best when the wounds are fresh, but it'll do fine. I think Link gave my husband some herbs that made them work even better."

"Good. I'll pay you later for all your inconvenience." she shuddered, forcing me to look in her eye. Something was happening. Something that I didn't like one bit: "Mother, I..."

"It looks almost as though this eye is covered with a black mass. Did you try to rub it off?" she asked, cutting me short. I shook my head. A moment later she was dabbing at it.

In the meantime Luv applied a red fluid to my hand that smelled strongly of herbs. It burnt but I kept my tongue. Every time mother took the cloth off to soak it in water it looked as though covered in sooth.

Finally the women stopped their ministrations and looked at me. I wished I had a mirror.

Luv shook her head: "Like I thought. I'd say you put a bandage on that hand and let the potion work until tomorrow. And about that eye..."

Her eyes squinted: "Actually, I don't think I can do anything for that."

"What's with my eye!" I exclaimed, scared, "What is wrong!"

She looked at my mother who refused to speak. So she explained: "It looks like it's glued shut with a thin film of sooth. Or as if it's grown shut."

My breath hitched in fear. What was that supposed to mean?

"Thank you Luv. I'll see that she has some rest and gets dressed." mother said tonelessly. The large woman looked worried but nodded: "Medowlaria, dear, if you have any other pains and need medicine, I have some very mild potions."

_Thank you_ I thought, but I just managed a nod and a smile. She gave me a last glance, then she nodded at mother and left. I got up on my own and walked my way into me room. Mother made sure that I was dressed (my tunic was ready for the garbage can) and had lain down before she turned to leave. However she looked back at me before she went out: "You know that this whole thing will have consequences."

I stared at her, wondering about something briefly and saying it before I could stop myself: "Is that what father told you when you came back?"

All color drained her face and I regretted opening my mouth instantly. My stupid mouth would be the death of me some day. She narrowed her eyes, obviously working.

So Groose had been telling the truth.

"What do you think you're talking about." she hissed, sounding like a wounded animal backed into a corner.

I swallowed down my fear: "You were gone longer than me! What was it? How many months!"

"Who told you!" she snapped.

"So it is true." my face felt pale, "By Hylia, it is true. You where lying all my life!"

Her voice become venomous: "I was gone for five months. No more, no less. And I was a lot older than you!"

"Don't give me that nonsense! You accuse me of sleeping around but you where no better, where you!" I snapped back, getting angry.

Her hand slapped me square over the mouth, making me gasp. I hadn't seen it come, only heard the swing of air and the deafening crash when she hit me. I shook.

Mother had never hit me before. Never.

I touched my burning lips, hearing her ragged breath as if through a veil. The growing silence was a warning. My control over the magic was about to slip.

"How can you DARE speak to me that way!" she screamed, making me clasp my hands over my ears, "I am your mother and you will respect me! You disappear without a word, get knocked up and then DARE accuse me?"

"... You accuse me of being a slut when you say that!" I hissed back, willing, no, begging my magic to stay down, "You went of fifteen years ago and got knocked up with me out on some affair, didn't you. So don't give me this..." I lacked the best word.

Mom was starting to cry in utmost rage: "You thankless child! Do not talk about things you cannot understand! And now tell me honestly, who did this with you!"

My face went red in remembrance and I stuttered: "L-like hell I'm telling you! I don't know how I can even believe what you say anymore!"

She stared at me with a hollow gleam in her eyes. I couldn't break the eye contact. Finally she turned around wordlessly and walked out of my room, slamming the door shut behind her.

It took a moment before the sounds returned. Feeling drained I dropped onto the mattress and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. The secret wasn't out yet. We where both lying and we both knew that. I gasped at the tears that rolled down my cheek and started looking up. Was it worth this battle? What had I come home for if not the truth?

I looked at my desk. It had been left untouched, awaiting my return. Probably this was the way it had been with mother gone, nothing touched, everything awaiting her when she came home. But had I really come home? I hadn't escaped the demon realm to flee into loveless cold arms whispering false welcomes.

Making a decision I stood up and climbed out of the window. Mother could guard the door but there was no way to keep me in if I wanted out.

"Medowlaria?"

I looked up. Fledge was looking all over Skyloft. His voice had been calling my name for hours. But people tended to not look at the graveyard too much. I can't remember how I managed to flee here in the first place. I know I was looking for shelter to get some sleep. But the noise was unbearable. How had I been able to fall asleep last night?

Probably it was because of my exhaustion.

A sudden wave of pain in my hand made me hiss, which caught Fledge's attention. His large eyes looked even more scared than usual, but maybe I was just imagining that. He ran toward me hectically.

"Medowlaria! I knew you were back up here!" he called, grinning from ear to ear. But his tone of voice gave his relief away. I tried to smile but failed: "It's been a while."

"Where were you?" he pointed at the green beam in the sky, "Everybody kept saying that you had fallen and crushed to death. But not your mom! And because she didn't believe it neither did I!"

"Didn't Link..." I cleared my throat, "He knew that I was alive."

"I know," he suddenly looked sad, "But then he said you had been captured and that he thought you had died!"

The faith in his voice, the utmost belief he had in his senior, it brought me close to tears.

Cautiously he reached out and touched my face, looking at it carefully: "What in the name of Hylia happened to your eye!"

"The guy Link thought had captured me accidentally hurt it." I mumbled.

Fledge looked like he was thinking about asking something. Then he thought again and stood up with a sigh: "You should know that your mother is looking for you."

"I don't care." I lied flatly. It was painfully obvious that he knew better but he didn't say any more about that: "Would you like to go flying?"

I blinked, noncomprehending. He grinned: "I-I know it's not your favorite flying weather, being sunny and all. But you've been gone for so long, you must have missed flying and..."

He continued babbling and I had to stop to think. He was right, I hadn't seen my bird for over a month. Yet I hadn't missed flying much. My thoughts had been occupied with all the new things I was learning.

Slowly I looked at the clouds and listened. There was the other reason, why I hadn't even thought about flying since I touched ground.

"I can't fly with you." I whispered exhaustively staring into space. Fledge stopped his monologue short, stammering: "Oh, um, th-thats okay, you don't..."

"No, you don't understand." I looked at him, watching his silhouette waver in front of my eyes, "I can't feel my bird."

Batreaux was the weirdest person I'd ever seen in all of Skyloft, no exceptions. But he was also incredibly nice, giving me a cup of tea and some cookies. His voice was warm and deep and comforted my ears.

"May I really spend the night here?" I asked again, hardly believing it was true. But he even insisted, Chuckling when I said he was very kind.

"It's my pleasure!" he smiled, sitting down opposite from me, "I'm thrilled to have a guest! Tomorrow we can see what to do next."

The word tomorrow had never made my heart sink so much. But I forced a smile and nipped at the tea. I had surprised Batreaux in the graveyard shortly after Fledge had gone off to ask people about my bird. I think I scared his socks off or something (He screams like a little girl and that is not meant meanly). Weirdly after talking for a few moments we noticed that we like each other and he brought me to his hide out.

I chuckled: "Batreaux, you are the first Skyloftian who has a voice I can listen to without pain."

"You have pain from peoples voices?" he looked surprised, "That's odd."

"I know."

He looked thoughtful: "Wait a moment, aren't you the little girl who got taken away by Ghirahim?"

I almost dropped my cup: "You know him?"

He looked grave: "Unfortunately. I am a demon myself, much like him but not nearly as powerful." he looked at my other eye, "He left his mark on you, didn't he."

_In more than one way._ I thought but said: "Do you think it will heal?"

He watched me for a moment before he shook his head in a very caring way. But to my own surprise I just shrugged. The next time I saw Ghirahim (the thought did manage to scare me) I would have to ask him.

Batreaux must have felt uncomfortable, at least he started blabbering again: "But I wouldn't have thought that you could find your way back into the Sky, that is quite remarkable! I sensed that he was here and Levias was furious that one of his children had been stolen by him. The birds where frightened."

"Can you understand them too?" I was seriously excited now. His eyes gleamed: "Yes! I didn't know that Hylians where capable of understanding the holy languages."

"The what?"

He looked concentrated for a moment, then he said in a voice that made me cringe: _"There are two. The voice of the gods and the tongue of the demons." _

I frowned: "But that's just the language of the birds. What's that other one?"

"_The demon language is inaudible to most people,_" he started to explain, pointing at himself, _"They say the gods cannot learn to speak it just as demons can't speak the gods language. But we can hear and understand each other. Hylians however cannot understand nor speak neither of the languages." _

"_But you just spoke the, um... other language._" I replied, confused.

His eyes gleamed proudly: _"That's because I am no longer a full blooded demon." _

"_How is that possible?" _

"_Link is collecting something very special for me. With that I can become a human at last." _Batreaux explained proudly. He told me about gratitude crystals.

"_You know, if you ever see some, please tell me!" _he finished excitedly. My smile wilted a bit: "_I will if I can. But I've been having some trouble seeing stuff and I've never seen those crystals before."_

"_Why would you have problems with your eyes?" _he asked surprised and worried. I shrugged: "_Beats me. All I know is that I can't see everything anymore. It's weird._"

I could hear how worried he was by listening to his breath, so I changed the subject: _"Hey, do you want to practice your pronunciation on me? That way you can talk to Levias in his native tongue when you are a human at last!" _

He loved the idea, to say the least. Unfortunately my ears started to hurt within moments. But I clenched my teeth and grinned and corrected with patience. Life all alone must have been terribly boring for the poor man. People feared him. When he talked about Kukiel I had to laugh. It was just too cute.

At some point he switched back into the demon language without noticing and I didn't bother telling him. My whole body was relaxing around me. Weird how painful the godly language was to my ears...

Coming to think about it, there were many occasions where my ears hurt. Certain people mostly. All of them (Levias, Faron etc.) had been speaking the godly language. The Hylian language was also a godly tongue, wasn't it? After all it had been given to us by the goddess. This weird dialect that the Kikwie used was just the same.

Realization hit me like lightning. Of course! I was sensitive to everything that had to do with the gods and their tongues. The demons on the other hand made me feel good and let my ears relax. This was not a coincidence.

I didn't tell Batreaux about my realization. Instead I nipped at my tea again. It was kinda embarrassing that it had taken me fifteen years until I'd noticed and understood that, seeing how elemental it was. But it did make my stomach feel too upset to take another cookie. Did this have to do with the secret?

Later that afternoon, Batreaux brought me to his bed and pulled the covers over me, saying good night in a gentle voice, a bit like a father. I grinned and turned to face the wall. All of this noise. Again I asked myself, how I had ever been able to sleep up here before.

My feet carried me to the statue of the goddess. People saw me, greeted me and disappeared again. Nobody commented my eye or the obvious limp. Damned muscle pain. Instead they gave me the feeling of a phantom. Of not really being there.

Walking up the stairs to the statue I couldn't stop myself from thinking. Would it ever be the same again? Could I ever just relax, fly around for fun and fight with my mother over stupid things like curfews instead of babies and rape? The steps up to the statue had never felt longer and steeper.

When I reached the top I noticed something. There was a quiet humming that echoed in the entire island. And it seemed to come from here. My ears buzzed at the sound but I dealt with it. The shadows had started to pool around my feet again and I was too tired to really fight them.

When I looked up at the statue it seemed even brighter than ever before. Nothing at all had changed. Nothing would ever change. To my surprise I felt a smirk crawling over my lips. What was the point of all of this? I was putting to much effort into becoming normal, into fitting in. This statue had looked down at generations of generations living in oblivion to the surface below. To the Goddess it didn't matter who fell and died, who bled the death in giving birth, who fell in the hands of demons. She didn't care if I fit in.

I know that Zelda was the Goddess. I know that she had been reborn to that task. But she was gone now, nobody knew how long it would be. Until then we were without a patron. Now was the moment of free decision.

And I barely had the energy to sit at the foot of the statue.

I closed my eye, listening into the sky as I had many times before. This sense of silence that the demon realm had brought was an illusion. Only a living, healthy world could be filled with breath. _It was right to come back._ Even if it meant leaving him behind.

A caw made me open my eye. A certain gray loftwing was circling above my head, flying down and settling in front of me. My heart leaped.

"I missed you." I whispered, petting his beak. But he just tilted his head.

And cawed again.

_But shall I stay? _

"What?" I asked with shaking underlip.

The caw didn't make sense, I couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Can you repeat that?"

I knew those words. But now they seemed in a faraway place.

He tilted his head to the other side, looking me straight in the eye. But I couldn't understand the chirps he was making in the back of his throat. I was frightened. What was going on?

_I have changed too much..._

He spread his wings and flew up high into the sky, leaving me behind, pale and shaky. I scrambled to my feet, looking after him.

_I have lost my right to return here. _

Shadows pooling around my feet like a comforting stream.

_Where am I? _

He disappeared before my eyes.

I looked where the statue had been just a moment ago. Then I turned to the rest of the island. Or more the direction, where I had just seen it.

_Who am I? _

I was standing in thin air looking into the endless sky all around me.

**-X**-

Another talky-chapter. But there are some important things happening and the next chapter is with a lot more action!

Actually it's hopefully going to be one of the most action filled chapters of all (I hope XD)


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